SYO-3100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 13: Stepfamily, Child Custody
Document Summary
Stepparents are still third parties- their rights and responsibilities continue to be limited. In most states, the stepparent has no legal obligation to contribute to the support of the stepchildren, even if he has lived with them for years and the nonresident biological parent has paid nothing. If the stepparent and the custodial parent end their relationship, the stepparent has no further obligation to support the stepchildren, even if he had been supporting them informally for years. Stepfamilies must create their own rules, their own shared meanings, through a long and sometimes difficult process of discussion, negotiation, and trial and error. First marriage has become more like remarriage. Typical american stepfamily: a mother, her biological children, and a husband who was not biologically related to her children. It"s even more common for couples to live together prior to a remarriage than it is prior to a first marriage.
