[sugarbearandme]

He is my sons child. I have supported him since birth and he has now been living with me 2 1/2 yrs. Both parents have been abscent from his Life.The father is in the Military where? He won't tell me ( we don't spek because he has refused to take responsibility for his son) The mother left him with me and moved to another state and hasn't been seen in as long. I have received nothing on his behalf from either parent. Not so much as a visit or Birthday Card. I can't afford to hire a lawyer at this time. My son never signed the birth certificate but doesn't deny the child. Is it possible for me to obtain a copy of his (grandson)Birthcerificate so that he can start School this year. His mother has yet to furnish me with it. She also left his older sibling behind (hes not my biological grandson but I still get weekends with him/) please help me in this matter. Both parents married someone else. I don't want my grandkids to suffur because of their selfish parents

[joypulv]

Go to your nearest Family Court and ask for papers to file for custody. It will be a long process without either parent to sign. There's no law that you have to have a lawyer; it just helps. You write well and present the situation clearly, and that's good for dealing with the people in courthouses who prefer to deal with lawyers. Have all the documents you can and write down a list of dates of what happened when. Birth records are on file at the state level in the state where a child was born. Go on your state.gov website to see how to get a copy. Talk to the school again about what to do if you don't have it in time for school.

[ScottGem]

You don't need a lawyer here, especially if the parents don't fight you. However, I agree with Joy that this will be an extended process. And you need to move quickly to register him for school.

So what I would suggest is to contact your local Family Services agency, to gain temporary Guardianship while you go through the courts for custody.