Adoptions are literally the best thing that happens inside a courtroom.
A great deal of what happens inside a courtroom is negative: divorces, criminals, people suing each other, however justified. In addition, there’s a lot of time judges have to make some really hard decisions, such as when two equally capable parents want drastically different outcomes.
But in adoption cases, it’s all about bringing families together. It’s all happiness. Stepparent adoptions are awesome in their own way because it’s one of the easiest decisions a judge gets to make. In some cases, there isn’t a biological parent. The biological parent might be deceased, unknown, or just never established paternity. In other cases, the parent typically hasn’t been involved in the child’s life for several years.
In most stepparent adoption cases, the stepparent has a long and demonstrated history of providing for and caring about the minor child or children to be adopted. Most of the time, the stepparent has been filling the role of a parent for so long that the adoption process just feels like a formality to the stepparent and adoptee. A lot of stepparents refer to adoption proceedings as, “Making something official that’s existed for years.” It’s generally very clear to everyone in the courtroom that it’s in the best interest of the child for the judge to grant the adoption and formalize the relationship between the stepparent and the child/ren.
It’s awesome to be in the courtroom and to play a small part in bringing a family together. Most of family law is the exact opposite of bringing families together. Adoptions require a fair amount of legal work to complete, but that work pales in comparison to the work stepparents put into their relationship with their children in the years leading up to the adoption.
Can stepparents adopt adult children in Idaho?
Yes, stepparents can adopt adult children in Idaho. Idaho law provides that the stepparent typically must have developed a parent-child relationship with the person to be adopted for a year while the person was a minor.
This is common when a biological parent may have been known and semi-present, but not really, and the stepchild decided it would just be easier to allow the adoption to happen once he or she reaches the age of 18. It is also common when people just never got around to doing the adoption and want to formalize the process for more symbolic reasons than anything.
Is a homes study required for a stepparent adoption in Idaho?
No, a home study is not required for a stepparent adoption in Idaho. According to state law, a home study, or a social investigation, is also not required for grandparent adoptions.
Do I need a lawyer to adopt my stepchild in Idaho?
No, you do not need a lawyer to adopt your stepchild in Idaho. However, having an experienced stepparent adoption attorney can help you navigate the court system to complete the adoption faster with less stress to you. In addition, an experienced attorney can determine if the biological parent’s rights need to be terminated and assist you with both the termination of parental rights and adoption petitions. Contact Taylor Law & Mediation PLLC to discuss your adoption needs.