Jane's Posts

May 4 1998

Until you are married, it is not your responsibility. After the marriage, you have a legal obligation to care for those children in the same capacity as your husband.

Change "legal" to "moral" and I have no quibble with your statement. I'm wondering, though, if you know something that I don't (which is quite QUITE possible!) about the laws regarding step-parents. To my knowledge, the law does not require step-parents to assume any responsibility for step-kids, and the law certainly provides no legal rights to step-parents. Do you have knowledge of specific legal responsiblities, since you use the word "legal?"

Like everything else, it varies by country and state. Step parents certainly have legal responsibility in many places. The "law" simply assigns them certain duties and responsibilities. The most well-known is administrative action and even criminal prosecution for child neglect if the step-parent is a responsible adult in the home. Obviously, you need not even be a step-parent to be charged with neglect of a child in your care. Many places have statutes under which parents may be prosecuted for the criminal acts of minors in their care. The laws make supervision of minors the legal duty of their parents or guardians. This may include biological, custodial and step parents, grandparents, etc.

Step parents may have civil liability for neglect of their duty to care for minors in their home. Examples would include your step children's right to sue you for failing to bring them to the doctor, or your next door neighbor's right to sue you if your step children break their windows. These are not necessarily determined by the divorce and custody agreements of the original parents. Law makers do not have to be consistent.

jane