Recently I wrote a post about how a county in Ohio is attaching posters to pizza boxes featuring the photos and last known addresses of parents who are failing to pay their court ordered child support. This is the first county in America to think outside the box in such a manner, and try to go above in beyond when it comes to catching parents who are not taking on responsibility for the children that they have created.

However, one reader brought up a great point. What about the parents, the custodial parents, who go out of their way... more

Three pizzerias in Ohio have decided to think outside the [pizza] box and help find parents who don’t pay their child support. Instead of attaching a poster of coupons to the pizza box as so many establishments do these days, they are attaching a poster of a different kind, a wanted poster. Ten different deadbeat parents are featured on the poster, pictures along with last known addresses, followed by a toll free number, a tip line if you will, for pizza lovers to call in if they have any information regarding one of the faces on the poster.

The... more

Recently an old friend of mine whom moved overseas turned me on to Google Talk. It is a messenger service, much like MSN, or Yahoo, but has another function as well. You can actually talk through your computer’s either built in microphone, or external one, and hear the person on the other end of your conversation through your computer speakers. Most new computer models have both built in microphones and speakers making Google Talk a simple few minute... more

In many domestic infant adoptions, as well as some adoptions that are done through the foster care system, an agreement is made to keep contact between the adoptive family and the surrendering family, or parent. Sometimes this contact is direct through visits and phone calls, while other times, the contact is done through a third party, such as the agency that completed the adoption.

In stepparent adoption situations where there is a bond between the non-custodial parent and the... more

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Aside from the emotional support of his or her parents, the child is also going to need financial support, and let’s not forget health insurance. Sometimes it is the stepparent whom has the health insurance, and some large insurance companies will not cover stepfamily members. And while an adoption should never occur simply because the stepparent has more money than the biological parent, if the non-custodial parent is uninvolved, and not contributing to the child financially or otherwise, it is not fair for the child... more

In order for a stepparent adoption to be completed, both biological parents must consent to the adoption. When the non-custodial parent consents to the adoption, he, or she, is giving up parental rights to the child, allowing the child’s stepparent to adopt the child. While some non-custodial parents are willing to sign over their parental rights, others, though not directly involved with the child, are not willing to sign over their rights in order for a stepparent to adoption the child.

Many times, when a parent is not involved... more

There has been a lot of talk on the adoption.com forums about allowing contact after a stepparent adoption goes through, for biological parents whom have been in the child’s life, but are willingly signing over their parental rights to their children. When children have an established bond with an uninvolved parent, it can be a difficult call as to if the relinquishing parent should still be allowed contact with the child or not.

... more

Often times when a family wishes to complete a stepparent adoption, it stems from one of the child’s biological parents not being in the child’s life. While the remaining family may see the other parent missing as a blessing, it can quickly turn into a curse once the family begins to pursue a stepparent adoption.

This is because the missing parent’s permission is needed in order for a stepparent adoption to occur. And if you do not know where the absent parent is, obtaining permission for a stepparent adoption is rather difficult. While... more

There was a Dateline special on a case where Parental Alienation was suspected, but nothing has been proven one was or the other, due to one side of the story, the father of the children, being deceased. It is the way that he passed, that has brought on the allegations of parental alienation, but the entire story in itself, is simply tragic.

The story profiles a family, a mother, her husband, and their two young boys. Allegations of abuse, violence, and sexual molestation were thrown around after a stormy marriage, and an even... more

Many times in a hopeful stepparent adoption scenario, one of the biological parents, for one reason or another, is no longer in the picture. Sometimes they opted to be absent from birth, and in other cases contact was somehow lost along the way. While this can be a relief for the parent whom is raising the child, in some instances, when it comes time for remarriage and the idea of a stepparent... more