I am a single mother in Texas, and have a 20 month old little girl. Her father is a crack addict, and has been for the past two years. He's been to treatment and stayed sober for only 5 months and has chosen to resume his crack addiction. He is currently out panhandling, living on the streets, and staying dope houses. No one has seen him in 5 days this time. Is this enough to terminate his rights? I have a new boyfriend and plan to marry him, and she calls him daddy, I just don't think she needs him in her life to have to deal with and in and out crack addict? And how do I go about doing this if I have grounds for it? Thank You

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Originally Posted by valleyprincess1

terminating drug addict dad?
I am a single mother in Texas, and have a 20 month old little girl. Her father is a crack addict, and has been for the past two years. He's been to treatment and stayed sober for only 5 months and has chosen to resume his crack addiction. He is currently out panhandling, living on the streets, and staying dope houses. No one has seen him in 5 days this time. Is this enough to terminate his rights? I have a new boyfriend and plan to marry him, and she calls him daddy, I just don't think she needs him in her life to have to deal with and in and out crack addict? And how do I go about doing this if I have grounds for it? Thank You

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OK-if you want to "terminate" the drug addicted dad-you will have to use a gun or a rifle;)
If you want to terminate the drug addicted dad's rights-it is another question.
Some states spell out factors that constitute grounds for termination of parental rights. Other states use general language. The most common statutory grounds for involuntary termination of parental rights include:

Severe or chronic abuse or neglect;
Abuse or neglect of other children in the household;
Abandonment;
Long-term mental illness or deficiency of the parent(s);
Long-term alcohol or drug-induced incapacity of the parent(s);
Failure to support or maintain contact with the child.
Another common ground for termination is a felony conviction of the parent(s) for a crime of violence against the child or other family member, or a conviction for any felony when the term of conviction is such a length as to have a negative impact on the child and the only available provision of care for the child is foster care

Bottomline, you need an attorney to advise on the laws in your area and help you navigate through Family court.