Generic question about “legal strangers”.

[ProSeDadinMD]

The half-sister is also a legal stranger.
A FULL sister would be a legal stranger.
The only NON stranger (legally) is YOU and MOM and any COURT APPOINTED Guardians.

Ok, I did get that.

So I'm only half-dense today...

 

[Ohiogal]

The half-sister is also a legal stranger.

A FULL sister would be a legal stranger.

The only NON stranger (legally) is YOU and MOM and any COURT APPOINTED Guardians.

Precisely. I was reading in one of your posts that because they don't have claim upon time that is whta makes them legal strangers.

 

[Bloopy]

Total Hijack. But on the topic of blended families

How should Merry ChrismaKwaNukkah cards be handled?

You know, you gather all the Bio, Step, Half siblings for a photo. Print ‘em out at Walmart with a cherry greeting and closing. What is appropriate to finish up with?


Merry ChrismaKwaNukkah

- Love the Holierthanthouarts
- Love the Holierthanthouart Family
- Love Stupidhead, BunnyBoiler, Wild, Unruly, Spawn, Thing…

 

[Bloopy]

- I like Holierthanthouarts- since they are all Holierthanthouarts
- I don’t like Holierthanthouarts family- erases the children’s’ parent
- I like the list best, but it can get pretty clumsy depending on the number of family members. It simply may not fit in the space provided

 

[CJane]

Total Hijack. But on the topic of blended families

How should Merry ChrismaKwaNukkah cards be handled?

You know, you gather all the Bio, Step, Half siblings for a photo. Print ‘em out at Walmart with a cherry greeting and closing. What is appropriate to finish up with?


Merry ChrismaKwaNukkah

- Love the Holierthanthouarts
- Love the Holierthanthouarts
- Love Stupidhead, BunnyBoiler, Wild, Unruly, Spawn, Thing…

Heh.

Well... since my Dad is Pentacostal, one sister is an athiest, one a pagan, one a devout somesortofchristiandependingonwhichsermonshelikesthisweek, one an Assembly of God-er... I'm a non-denominational pagan, my Mom is Christian this week, my Stepdad is an agnostic, my BF's mom is Catholic, my BFF is Wiccan... damn. I know that's not everyone...

I either do before Thanksgiving cards that are "Happy Holidays" or after Christmas "Best wishes in the new year" cards for mass distribution. The Wiccans get theirs at Samhain.

 

[Bloopy]

Heh.

Well... since my Dad is Pentacostal, one sister is an athiest, one a pagan, one a devout somesortofchristiandependingonwhichsermonshelikesthisweek, one an Assembly of God-er... I'm a non-denominational pagan, my Mom is Christian this week, my Stepdad is an agnostic, my BF's mom is Catholic, my BFF is Wiccan... damn. I know that's not everyone...

I either do before Thanksgiving cards that are "Happy Holidays" or after Christmas "Best wishes in the new year" cards for mass distribution. The Wiccans get theirs at Samhain.

LOL

What I'm stuck on is the appropriate signature


Although I do get picky with the greetings: I send out about 50 Christmas (2 languages), 4 Hanukkah, 1 Eid, and 20 Happy Holidays. When I’m late, I just send Best Wishes in the New Year to everyone. I don’t think Walmart carries a Samhain template

 

[CJane]

LOL

What I'm stuck on is the appropriate signature


Although I do get picky with the greetings: I send out about 50 Christmas (2 languages), 4 Hanukkah, 1 Eid, and 20 Happy Holidays. When I’m late, I just send Best Wishes in the New Year to everyone. I don’t think Walmart carries a Samhain template

That's because Walmart sucks. But I was a graphic designer in a past life, and my sister is a photographer, so we make it work. Also... since Samhain is the New Year, sometimes I just cheat and use a NY theme.

ANYWAY...

I just sign "Lots of love from the Heathen Family" and Wild and Unruly sign their names because they're obsessed w/ autographing everything.

Alternatively, I leave off the "Heathen family" and simply sign it 'lots of love'. After all, there are pics of you ON THE CARD right? They know who it's from.

 

[tuffbrk]

Speaking of Wild and Unruly - Bumper sticker on car in front of me this morning that made me think of CJane -

Experience Wildlife
Raise kids

Thought it would make you smile!
Enjoy Turkey all - time for me to leave and enjoy spirits and fun at the pub!

 

[LdiJ]

Not quite CJ. See my definition. Grandparents may win visitation but that does not mean they are not legal strangers. legal strangers cannot make medical decisions, education decisions, guardianship decisions, or other such decisions concerning the child.

This is true. However, I think that the semantics are confusing people.

You are defining a legal stranger as someone who has no decision making rights regarding the child. I do not disagree with this definition.

However, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles etc., do have legally RECOGNIZED relationships to children, and may, if the situation calls for it, be given decision making rights regarding the children. They follow in line behind the legal parents basically.

However, stepparents and extended family of stepparents, or extended family of a sibling who does not share the same two parents, do not have legally recognized relationships to the child (stepparent in nearly all states is a situational/honorary relationship that occurs only during the time a person is married to a legal parent of a child). There is a very slim chance that one of them might, in some rare circumstances be given decision making rights to a child, just as a foster parent might, but they truly have no legally recognized relationship.

That is why, if both parents are deceased or awol, grandparents are first in line and stepparents are the very last in line...and maybe a judge wouldn't consider them in line at all.

 

[CJane]

This also seems like a good thread in which to point out that just because OUR parents handled things a certain way, or we know someone who FILLINTHEBLANK doesn't mean it was RIGHT or APPROPRIATE or would STILL hold true.

My mom remarried a year after divorcing. My sisters and I were between 6 and 12 and my step-dad stepped right into the role of man of the house. He was the disciplinarian, softball coach, horse hauler, fishing partner, taught me to ride a bike, all those dad things. He kissed the boo boos and took us to the doctor. He was, for all intents and purposes out DAD. He was even listed as our guardian should something have happened to my mom - and I know my father wouldn't have fought it. My father wasn't around unless it suited him, and then it was as weekend dad w/no responsibility.

But I can't base any future step-interactions on what happened in MY family because it wouldn't fly today. Just wouldn't.

And no one else can base what happens in THEIR family legally on what happened to them or someone else somewhere or somewhen (yeah, I made that up) else.

 

[peppier]

In my family my half-brother lived with us and went by his legal name but he my father Dad and his father "my real father". "Real father" didn't want to see him and didn't send child support. My brother looked him up when he was grown and they didn't get along.

My husband's half-sister lived with Mom and sd and went by sd's name though it wasn't legal but it was accepted. She visited her dad 2 weeks in the summers and my husband and her half-sister went with her! I still think that was odd. She had a good relationship with him but now that he's gone she doesn't have much contact with the half-siblings on her father's side.

We think that now that divorce is so widespread that step-families are something new but so many of the people of my parents age including my father and father-in-law, grew up with stepparents because people died of things that hardly anyone dies of anymore. And so many children lost their fathers in WWI and WWII.