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-   -   Nephew (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=171248)

  • Jan 11, 2008, 09:27 AM
    concern_aunt
    Nephew’s father signing over his parental rights.
    My nephew father told my sister he was signing over his parental rights next week. He said that the man handling his child support case in the child support office told him to do this. This way he will not have to pay child support any more. We live in Massachusetts is this a true fact?
  • Jan 11, 2008, 09:32 AM
    ScottGem
    Not according to any laws I know of. No judge is going allow a parent to get out of child support just by giving up his parental rights. If it were that easy, every deadbeat parent would be lining up.

    I suggest that your sister call her case worker or whatever and find out what is going on.
  • Jan 11, 2008, 09:40 AM
    life1973happened
    Anytime I hear somebody post about a father willing to sign over his parental rights, it breaks my heart. I guess it's a sad reality in this day and age. I don't know why they would want to. Even if they never see their child, send a money, or participate in their lives in anyway, why sign over rights.

    I just see the day the child grows, is playing around in moms dresser drawer and finds this form. A form in which it states I want nothing to do with this child, which is how it will read to them. That breaks my heart. Everybody wants to feel that they are loved. I think if it's lost with our parents it's my belief it spirals from there.

    That child finish his teen years goes into adult life, all with the heavy burden and knowledge that he was not loved enough to want his or her father to keep that precious right.

    I'd like to tell all the fathers out there that choose to do this, or are thinking of doing this. To stop and think for a moment what you are really doing. Also please think of the message this child will someday get, and they will get it, by you signing over those rights. Consider other options, or just step away but don't make a child pay, emotionally, for something you don't want.
  • Jan 11, 2008, 10:42 AM
    life1973happened
    ScottGem...
    As you know I live in MA and I just called an attorney I do a lot of work with on the Real Estate work with and he called an attorney that does this kind of work. He stated that this man cannot do what he thinks he can do, that easily. He said he can file a form like that all day long. However, in the state of MA the mother of the child has to approve it and the Probate Court has to as well. The attorney said he has yet to see a situation like the one above ever even make it to court.

    He also said even when the mother wants the father to sign over parental rights, in most cases, Probate court will review and more than likely not allow it. He said the father or parent wishing to sign over rights would have to give a pretty desperate and extreme reason for signing over rights. He ended the conversation by saying in 36 years he has yet to see an extreme enough example to get out of paying child support.

    Signing over parental rights can be done in this state but they are not ever associated with parents who do not want to pay child support. So I hope this helps the original person that made the post.

    As always, with legal matters, call an attorney. Most of the time I have found they will answer a question, at no cost and look to help ease some stress, in regards to questions such as this.

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