Sibling Visitation Rights?

Question

Is there any way that my daughter has any rights to see her half brother? The mother of my daughters half brother will never even have a conversation with me, and does not want the kids to know one another. There is no good reason for this, other than her own jelousy issues. My daughters father is a great father who is very involved in her life! He was like this with his son as well, but his mother was causing all kinds of chaos in his life. He has signed his rights away to his son to try to stop the mental abuse from happening to the child. My daughter has absolutely nothing to do with all this drama, and I think it is important that the kids have some type of relationship. Is there any laws that help siblings, or am I just to wait until the child comes to his father?

Answer 1

Your daughter has a father who signed away his rights to his own child "in order to stop the mental abuse from happening to the child".   Most parents don't need to sign away their parental rights in order to stop that type of thing.  All they need to do is make sure whoever is being mentally abusive isn't around the child.

I wouldn't think the mother of the little boy is jealous of anyone.  From her perspective, her boy's father and his mother probably seem pretty much like "a  couple of pieces of work", and she probably wants to live her life with her son without complications and ties associated with the father who signed away his rights.

I have one adopted son who was adopted from infancy.  He was 21 when he discovered he had a bunch of half siblings.  The brother and sister he's always known are the ones he grew up with (the two biological children I had).

My son's birth family is one, big, walking, drama - and that was a drama he was better off without.  When he got old enough to meet "the players" of that drama he was old enough to see it for what it was, without having had it impact his perfectly normal childhood.

It's only my opinion, but I think your daughter will be spared any drama by not having anyone make a big deal about the fact that a half-brother exists.  When she's older she can develop a relationship with him (or not).

There are no laws that would get your daughter visitation rights.  In fact, if you brought such a case to court there is probably a good chance a judge would order that the father who disowned his own child (and his family) leave the little boy and his mother alone, so they could live their lives without having to deal with remaining connected to "psychological abuse".

It's true your daughter did nothing wrong.  The trouble is her father has done some serious things when it comes to his own child, and sometimes children pay a price for their parents' bad actions.

Answer 2

No laws in helping with sibling visitation rights, especially if the birth father signed over his rights because in the eyes of the law he is not the boy's father now, thus they are not siblings.  I know tacky, but only on paper, DNA, blood, they are still related and hopefully when the boy is 18 he will come knocking at his sister's door.

As for the mental abuse, the mother needs to be reported, the father should of never signed his rights away, but instead too her to court for custody.

Answer 3

Unfortunately, you'll have to wait until the child comes to his father.

My kids would love to see their half sibling they've never met, but our adoption is closed...for good reason.

They have no rights to ever see this baby unless in the future, the baby ever finds out that it has half siblings and decides to seek them out.

Answer 4

It's never a good thing when parents use their children as pawns in their control games. First I think that your daughters father should have never signed away any parental rights to his child. I believe that she was looking for a way back at him and she got it when he signed away his rights. Back to your question, I agree that siblings should have a relationship but there is no real recourse other than letting him come of age and making the decision to see his father and sister. The problem will come from what the mother will say to him about his father. The child's mind may be clouded by the mothers anger and emotions. So just be prepared that her brother may not seek out your daughter or his father for a very long time if even at all. Parents far to often transfer their hate into their children. I would still have your daughter send her brother cards on special occasion's like birthdays, Christmas, etc.... He may or may not get them but if he does then he can see that she cares and it can't hurt. Best Wishes

Answer 5

Siblings do not have visitation rights in the USA.