I am trying to find out how to prove a step parent unfit. My exhusband recently married a woman who my child is all but terrified of. I have asked my child several times what is wrong and they tell me this woman is mean, keeps the child from their father, slaps them, spanks them (which the woman has admitted to), calls mommy bad names in front of them making them cry, refuses to let them speak to me on the phone when I call and will make them stand in the corner till daddy comes home from work... etc.

This person has also been harassing me as well as my ex husbands family. They have hacked into email accounts and sent things under my name to various people, they have threatened me, it is really out of hand. I have went to the police and they filled a report reluctantly and informed me nothing would come of it. This woman is an aggressive presence at all pick ups and drop offs and I have asked SEVERAL times that she not come to my home to pick up the child but my ex always brings her and she just lays on the horn until he grabs my child.

I have an attorney, he is on vacation at the moment. I need some ideas on what to do and how to do it. I have been informed by my ex's family that they have reason to believe the woman is bipolar and a risk to my child. She is aggressive and has "bowed up" to members of his family. My ex is in denial of the situation despite his family alienating him and his child being hysterical when he come to retrive them... Ideas?

You need to write down each little detail and date it no matter how insignificant it may seem.
Get your kids to tell you each thing and write it down. Write down the effects she has on the kids too.

You need to write down each little detail and date it no matter how insignificant it may seem.
Get your kids to tell you each thing and write it down. Write down the effects she has on the kids too.

Thank you for your response, I have been doing this. I am just concerned that it will be considered hear say and dismissed?

Go buy a notebook and dedicate it just to your child. Use it just like a journal so you have dates, times, and everything that happened. Record pick-ups, drop-offs, and anything your child says about his/her experience at their house/car rides. Once you have a few pages (which if everything is true shouldn't take long) take it to your attorney. Get a court date and use that as evidence as to why the child should not be left alone with the step-mom.

Get your child to a psychologist for evaluation. Their report will help your case.

While your journal is hearsay it can be used in conjunction with other more concrete material.

Your attorney should be pushing for ONLY supervised visitation. Do not try to cut the ex off completely, Your concerns are with this woman and if you can require supervision, then the problems should come out.

Yeah supervised visitation would be the best request because then it will show you are concerned about the best interest of your kids and not trying some spite angle thing.

Thank you for your advice and I believe my attorney is going to place us in contact with a psychologist for my daughter. I was under the impression that unless extreme physical abuse was occurring it would be near impossible to get supervised visitation?

I am in no way trying to keep my child from the father, just extremely worried about this woman considering she is constantly doing something to me or his family and she is unable to even hold a job down. Something is wrong but since I am not in the home I can't tell exactly what or how bad it is?

No, the court should hold the child's best interest as paramount. If there is any evidence of abuse either physical or mental, the court should protect the child by ordering supervised vists for at least an evaluation period.

Thank you Scott, I really hope you are right.