What is the name of your state?Texas:
I live in Texas, as do my ex-wife and my son. He is not mine biologically but I did a legal name change, giving him my name in 2002. I have been divorced from his mother for just over a year and we were seperated for about a year before that. During those two years, the child has lived with her parents since she decided it would be best for him to be shielded from our divorce and it would allow her to work without child care costs. So, he hasn't lived with me for two years now. During that time, I have maintained him on my health insurance and I have provided some financial aid to his grandparents. Throughout his life, he has only known me as his dad and all friends, neighbors, associates and family have known ours to be a father/son relationship; in other words, he has always called me dad, I have always called him son and he has always used my name, even before the legal name change.
What I would like to know is does all of this qualify for adoption by estoppol and if so, what rights am I entitled to and what responsibilities do I have under the law? Is there any chance that I could gain custody of him were I to consider trying?
I live in Texas, as do my ex-wife and my son. He is not mine biologically but I did a legal name change, giving him my name in 2002. I have been divorced from his mother for just over a year and we were seperated for about a year before that. During those two years, the child has lived with her parents since she decided it would be best for him to be shielded from our divorce and it would allow her to work without child care costs. So, he hasn't lived with me for two years now. During that time, I have maintained him on my health insurance and I have provided some financial aid to his grandparents. Throughout his life, he has only known me as his dad and all friends, neighbors, associates and family have known ours to be a father/son relationship; in other words, he has always called me dad, I have always called him son and he has always used my name, even before the legal name change.
What I would like to know is does all of this qualify for adoption by estoppol and if so, what rights am I entitled to and what responsibilities do I have under the law? Is there any chance that I could gain custody of him were I to consider trying?