sibling visitation

[dojaphunk]

My jurisdiction is: nc

I have an eight year old half sister by a 35 year old stepmother. I am 26. My father and stepmother had been separated for a year & a half when he died from a heart attack. I have always been in my sister's life and even more so after dad's death. However, all of that came to an end on Christmas Eve. What was suppose to be a wonderful night turned into not being able to see my sister on Christmas (because her mother thought my sister should instead spend the day w/ her boyfriend & his parents.... yes, folks. A mere 2 months after my father was buried) which turned into "You will never see her again." Since that time I have left 2 messages trying to extend an olive branch in my sister's best interest with no replies whatsoever. I have been in touch w/ the mother's sister-in-law who said that my little sister sang a song she wrote about the people she loves which included the line "I love my sissy even though she is a criminal." WHAT? The only thing I've ever gotten in trouble for is speeding! I am a Christian who's a college student w/ a 4.0 GPA and go to work everyday. This obviously makes me think that her mother been telling her some awful things. What is so frustrating is that her mother has a VERY shady past (as recent as 2 years ago), but when my sister asks about those things, I ALWAYS simply answer "You are too young to fully understand right now. When you get older, we will discuss it all." That answer satisfies her, and I would never talk bad about a parent to their child. My parents divorced when I was 3, and that is just something they never did. They always showed respect for each other no matter the circumstances. Being a young married couple, my husband & I cannot afford huge attorney fees. I hope that someone on this site can help me out w/ some information. I was originally lead to this website by someone posting that their NC lawyer friend says that siblings have a lot of rights. Just exactly what are they, and what is the next step I should take. Thanks for reading, and God bless!

 

[Duranie]

Unfortunately as a sibling you have very few rights. The mother is going to have all the rights here and it is very unlikely the courts are going to give you much. You do not have rights over the mother at all. You might want to book a consultation with a family law attorney they are usually free or low cost and see what they say. Also is this childs grandparents still alive? since their son is dead they might be able to secure some grandparent rights. You might have better luck pursuing that avenue. have you talked to them at all on grandparents rights if they are still alive and involved?

Good luck

 

[dojaphunk]

Unfortunately, I am the only one left. My paternal grandparents are long gone. The mother's parents agree w/ me completely on her poor parenting skills, but they don't want to "rock the boat" so to speak. I guess all I can do is wait for her to get older and hope that she will be able to see the truth.

 

[Duranie]

Well it would not hurt to at least talk to an attorney. The relationship with your sister should be worth the little time and momey to invest in this initial consultation.

 

[dojaphunk]

thank you. i was able to find a number of family attorneys in my area who offer free consultations. i plan on making some appointments very soon. it's just so frustrating when a parent hurts a child, which is essentially what she is doing. i grew up in a home w/ 3 older half sisters (from my mother...R.I.P). those relationships and experiences we shared made me who i am today. as far as my little sister, i changed her diapers, and she seems to get a year older in the blink of an eye. forgive me if i sound arrogant, but i worry about the person she may grow up to be without her sissy in her life.

 

[Duranie]

I agree with you, you should at least try. It is too bad mom cannot be mature about this. If anything ever happened to my husband I would NEVER EVER cut his kids out of our life. We have 2 young kids together and his older kids love their little half sister and brother to death. Even if we were to divorce I would still want to maintain some sort of contact regularly so they can see their siblings. it is nice that you are being the bigger person here.