In New york do I have any rights to make decision on my 16 year old step daughters life.who she can see where she lives what time she should be home at night etc etc thanks I can really use help here.

Well, I will assume you did not adopt the child. The parent who you live with is the one to make the rules, they should discuss it with you.

First please pay more attention to posting rules. There is a sticky at the top of the Children forum (where this was moved from) that directs question of a legal nature here.

As Chuck noted, you have very little rights as a step parent. If she refuese to obey your rules there is little you can do.

Where is her mother in all this?

No, step parents (while sometimes more help than the bio ones) have no legal right to the child. It will be up to her mother and father to give her those rules. If you are the step father it will be up to her mother to decide when and where she goes and for how long if you are the step mother then it will be up to her father. While I would assume the parent would consult you (being that you are married and that is generally what married people do) you have no rights on her.

Can you explain more about your situation ? Are you making decisions in your partners absence ? Or are you both co-parenting the child ?

Not unless you've been named guardian by the court.

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Originally Posted by s_cianci

Not unless you've been named guardian by the court.

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The right to decision making can come from either parent independent of the courts. The parent of the child can grant guardianship in their absence. Just like would happen should your child be on a field trip or at the babysitters.

You need to be more careful how you word things.