I want custody of my niece

[Chancecross0108]

Jurisdiction

Florida

My niece Christina was born 5 years ago by my sister who's a drug addict and admitted she won't be able to take care of her so she gave her to my mom when she was only 4 months old. Ever since then my mom has custody of her. My mom isn't in good shape either, my mom uses Christina as a way for money. I was only 15 when we first got Christina but my mom put all the parenting on me. I couldn't go to school because I had to take care of her, I had to take her everywhere with me. Unless I bathed her and brushed her teeth my mom didn't do it. There was a time where I went out of town with a friend and pulling into the drive way I saw Christina playing in the street by herself with my mom sleeping in her room. My mom smokes cigarettes in the house and there's been multiple times DCF came to our house because of how dirty Christina would look at school and smell like smoke or times where I came home from school and cops were talking to my mom because they found Christina down the street by herself. I graduated two years later than I was supposed too because I had to leave school to take care of Christina. I'm now 19 and just moved to Chicago to live with my dad because of how bad living conditions are with my mom. I know Christina isn't getting taken care of well there and I'm working two jobs right now and will do anything to gain custody of her. My mom won't let me because like I said Christina is her way of getting money right now. What can I do?

 

[KatDini]

The reply above is not correct. Actually, you can do nothing. You have no rights. All you can do is call CPS if the child is being abused.

 

[ElleMD]

If Mom still has all her legal rights, she decides where the little girl lives. If that means staying with grandma, that means staying with grandma. If a court granted grandma guardianship, then only a court can change that and they aren't likely to change that in favor of a 19 year old absent some extreme circumstances. Nothing you describe would meet that level.

You can ask your sister to allow the child to stay with you, so long as she still has legal rights to the child and there is no court order. It is up to sis to decide.

 

[Chancecross0108]

If Mom still has all her legal rights, she decides where the little girl lives. If that means staying with grandma, that means staying with grandma. If a court granted grandma guardianship, then only a court can change that and they aren't likely to change that in favor of a 19 year old absent some extreme circumstances. Nothing you describe would meet that level.

You can ask your sister to allow the child to stay with you, so long as she still has legal rights to the child and there is no court order. It is up to sis to decide.

She actually still do has legal rights, thank you!