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bettysue · Jul 24, 2008, 10:09 AM

We live in New Mexico, my 13 yr old son made friends with a neighbor son who is also 13. For the last year he has basically lived with us. His parents are both alcoholics, abusive, neglectful and the father also has brain cancer and mental illness. The only reason they want him around is the clean up the house, which is by no means sanitary to live in. We have not called social services or anyone like that because for the most part we can take care of him and feed him and nurture him here. The parents usually ground him from us as punishment for not washing dishes. Anyway we are being transferred to Texas for work, and will be leaving within the next month. He expressed he wants to go with us, and we want him. Both sets of grandparents have contacted us and thanked us for helping their grandson and are aware of the horrible life he is forced to live, both are elderly and can't take him in. My question is, what can we do to quickly get guardianship of him without court that may take more time than we have, if his parents are aware of what we are trying to do and we had to move already without him, who knows the horrible things they will do to him. I just don't think they would give him up voluntarily because he is who picks them both up at night and drags them to bed. And as I mentioned cleans up after them. What can we do without going through all the court things?

N0help4u · Jul 24, 2008, 10:18 AM

With them not being willing to give him over to you I think the only option you have is to get children's services involved to deem them unfit.

bettysue · Jul 24, 2008, 10:44 AM

Any ideas how long that will take, any loop holes?

ScottGem · Jul 24, 2008, 11:03 AM

In your eagerness to do good, you have done more harm. If there was a home problem, you NEEDED to have contacted children's services, NOT take it on your own. Now your ignoring the law and his parent's rights (and yes they have rights until a court of law takes them away) whoever wellmeaning, have put him and you behind the 8 ball. You CANNOT take him with you without being accused of kidnapping.

And the process of getting guardianship is not going to be a matter of a couple of months. Your best hope, is that he can be put into foster care until you can win guardianship.