What will I have to do to get guardian/parenting rights of Elmo?

Do not judge me or try to tell me how hard this is going to be for someone my age or what i’m going to miss out on, i’m perfectly aware of the situation and the desion has already been made.

My bestfriend is pregant. She’s going to turn 18 and be out of highschool by the end of january as a graduate. The father of the baby is my age (15) and says he will “claim the baby as long as she dosen’t tell”. Well we decided that sence me and her are so close and I have the most experience with kids (have been takeing care of my brothers for years and taken parenting classes) That she is going to have me signed over as a legal guardin. Well she is trying to make sure I can have the same rights as the real parent. I know sence i’m 15 I can’t legally adopt the child for another 2 years (i’ll be 16 when it’s born) is there anyways we can have it set up that if somthing happened to her I would be able to have it sent to me and handled under my care even before i’m 18? And what forms will I have to go through to become a legal guardin? And will her parents/sister be able to take it from me if somthing did happen even though she dosn’t want them to?

Answer #1

Wat about her makein a will? I don’t think she can give u the child (even in her will) before u turn 18, ur best bet is to talk to a lawyer

Answer #2

The legals concerning guardianship are difficult for minors. The DHS will probably assign the child to it’s father or the mother’s parents if the unspeakable should happen. I think your best bet would be coming to some understanding with the child’s father concerning your role as surrogate mother. If he is an eligible father then he will have most of the say in this matter. A will written by a minor is valid, but not taken seriously in more complicated legal matters (due to the “irresponsibility and naivete”) factor involved. The parents usually end up having the voice in most cases of complicated teen wills. You should talk to her parents and her child’s father about these things.

Answer #3

I’d say in all states concerning guardianship of a child…the biological parents, followed by the grandparents, followed by the biological grown siblings of the parents would be any courts preference to awarding guardianship/custody of a child. Sorry Jade (I know your heart is in the right place) but the fact of the matter is all these people I mentioned would have to say, they did not want to care for that child or are disqualified by the courts before anyone else would be considered. The fact that you are a friend and a minor is something you need to talk to legal council in your state about to get any real answers as to how to make that a possbility.

Answer #4

You will not be qualified either to adopt or to be assigned legal guardianship by a court until you turn 18. If you make an informal agreement with your friend and/or the baby’s father for you to take the child, any person - including, for example, your family or your friend’s family, or even a neighbor - can report to the Florida Department of Children and Families that your friend has abandoned her child (since you cannot be considered for legal guardianship), and the court could assign guardianship to the DCF, leading to foster care or adoption. Even after you are 18, all adoptions must be approved by a court, which will certainly consider your age and overall situation in deciding whether adoption by you would be in the child’s best interest.

In other words, Jade, there is no way for you and the child’s parents acting on your own to insure that the child will go to you, either now or after you turn 18. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen; just that there is nothing you can do to make sure it will happen.

If your parents are willing, the court could legally place the child with them, with the understanding between you and them that you will be responsible for its care. Then when you turn 18, with a year or two of successful “parenting” experience under your belt, you could apply to adopt. I think that’s your best bet. And my guess is that you probably couldn’t do this without substantial support from your parents anyway.

Please read the relevant portions of this Legal Guide for Pregnant Teens in Florida and share it with your friend:

http://funadvice.com/r/boda580clnj

Answer #5

I can’t tell you about the legal situation in your place. In my country you could most certainly not be a assigned guardian to a Baby before you are 18. Not even if you were related, like an aunt or an older sibling.

What you definitely can do at any age is… ask your friend whether you can be the godmother.

Answer #6

Please read the relevant portions of this Legal Guide for Pregnant Teens in Florida and share it with your friend:

http://funadvice.com/r/boda580clnj

(I’ve repeated this here so it doesn’t get lost and overlooked at the bottom of my long earlier comment.)

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