Custody Battle..

Australia
January 22, 2007 12:56am CST
My sister is a hopeless parent. She has two children, 6 and 3, with her ex-fiance. She has moves house, at least, every month. She moves from city to city, state to state, without a single care for the kids wellbeing. The eldest child, was meant to be in year 1 last year, through the entire year he went for about 2 months. That wasnt even consitant, he did a couple days here and a couple there, all at different schools! She has never created a stable enviroment for the kids. She drives around at midnight with them in the car, so she can go out drinking with her underage cousin! For 2 months last year, she dropped them off to live with their father. She returned, and demanded to have full custody of them! When she didnt even pay a penny of childsupport, or contact them at all in those 2 months! My mum and I are at wits end.. We have offered help, but she doesnt want it. We are talking about one of us gaining full custody of the kids, and get her to pay us childsupport to raise them. That way, they both will go to school. They both will eat healthy meals, instead of McDonalds 3 times a day, and that way, they will know a good life instead of being shipped around the country-side!! What do you guys think? Should we try and get custody? Should my sister smarten up, and act her age? Have you been through a similiar situation?? Thanks!
1 response
@Foxxee (3651)
• United States
22 Jan 07
I don't know the laws where you live. But if your sister and the father go to court they will give the father full custody. That is if he is a better fit father then she is a mother. She doesn't sound like a good mother. Sorry, but she isn't and she needs help. I'm surprised DHS hasn't taken the kids away from her already. Also, is the father any better or is he the same way? As for you and your mother getting full custody, I don't think that will happen. They will give the father custody before they give anyone else custody. The only way you might get custody is if the father was a deadbeat like the mother. Also, if you were to get custody your sister wouldn't be made to pay child support. Because the only way you can get custody is if both parents are not fit and even if they are not fit and you did get custody you still wouldn't get child support from either one of them, they don't do that. It would be up to you to provide because it would be carried out as like an adoption of the kids. But that is what they do here, I'm not sure the laws where you live. Look into it. Good luck though, and I hope the kids get to be put either in your care or the fathers care.
• Australia
22 Jan 07
Thanks for the advice. The father is just as bad as the mum.. We are looking into it, but to start with we want to just ask her to give us the kids instead of having to drag it through court..