Stepchildren Archives

How can I help my stepdaughter get away from an abusive mother?

How can I help my 12-year-old step daughter get away from an emotionally abusive mother? Tell the child’s father (your husband) about the trouble and have him handle it. It’s not legally your fight. You should certainly share your observations…

In re Adoption of E.M.F. – 2022 UT App 43 time in which to appeal

In re Adoption of E.M.F… – 2022 UT App 43 THE UTAH COURT OF APPEALS IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF E.M.F. AND M.S.F., PERSONS UNDER EIGHTEEN YEARS OF AGE. S.S. AND B.S., Appellants, v. J.F., Appellee. Opinion No.…

How do I best explain to my daughters that I am divorcing their stepmom?

November 17, 2021

Divorce Utah

Child Custody, Children in Divorce, Divorce, Extramarital affairs/Adultery, Parent Time, Parentage, Stepchildren, Stepparents

adultery, affair, Children in Divorce, divorce problems, domestic case, parenting, stepchildren, stepparents

What is the best way for me to explain to my 3 daughters that the reason in which I am divorcing their Assistant Prosecutor stepmother is because I wouldn’t let her legally adopt them and that I had an affair…

What are some cases of extended relatives getting visitation rights with children?

July 12, 2021

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Family Law, Grandparent rights, Parental Fitness, Parental Rights, Stepchildren, Stepparents, Utah Code, Utah Court of Appeals Decisions, Visitation, Women's Divorce Issues

grandparent visitation rights, petition to terminate parental rights, standard of proof, visitation rights for extended family members, visitation rights for non-family members

In Utah, that question has been thoroughly discussed on the subject of grandparent visitation rights in the case of Jones v. Jones. and if you don’t want to read the rest of my answer, Jones vs. Jones set an extremely…

Can a mother lose custody even if the child is still very young?

April 2, 2021

Divorce Utah

Best Interest of the Child, Child Abuse, Child Custody, Child Custody Modification, Child Neglect, Children in Divorce, Co-parenting, Coping With Divorce, Court Orders, Court Rules, Custody, Custody Evaluation, Dirty Tricks, Divorce Fears, Divorce Law, Divorce Mistakes, Divorce Preparedness, Divorce Procedure, Education, Evidence, Family Law, Fathers' Divorce Issues, Joint Legal Custody, Joint Physical Custody, Legal Custody, Legal System, Men's Divorce Issues, Mental Illness, Modification of Decree of Divorce, Modification of Parent-time, Mothers' Divorce Issues, Noncustodial parents, Parent Time, Parental Alienation, Parental Fitness, Parental Rights, Parenting Plan, Personality Disorders, Preparing for Divorce, Sole Custody, Stepchildren, Stepparents, Supervised Parent-time, Supervised Visitation, Utah Code, Women's Divorce Issues

change of custody, criteria, custody, elements, factors, lose custody, loss of custody, modification of custody, modify custody, mother, Utah child custody, Utah Code §30-3-10, Utah Code §30-3-10.2

Can a mother lose custody even if the child is still very young? Are there any situations where a mother can lose custody even if their child is still very young (e.g., under 5 years old)? Oh, heck yeah. Many…

Must I treat my stepchild the same as my biological child?

July 31, 2019

Divorce Utah

Stepchildren, Stepparents

Would I be the bad person if I wanted to take my biological child on a weekend trip with me but didn’t want to bring my spouse’s child (my stepchild), with us? Just you and your own child? No. Even…