[ACB510]

I am 18 years old and have two half sisters. They are 11 and 9. Their mother divorced my father and is trying to take them out of state far away. My father has no legal rights to the girls anymore and their mother has brainwashed them. The court agreed to my father that they would make the mother stay if he did counseling with them and what not. My father is head of a big construction company and never takes time off. So now the mother has all the rights. They are the most nervous and frightened young girls you will ever meet because of their mother. I don't want her to be able to take them so far away from me. I am one of the only sane people in their lives and I can't let them be alone with her. What do I do?

[JudyKayTee]

I am 18 years old and have two half sisters. They are 11 and 9. Their mother divorced my father and is trying to take them out of state far away. My father has no legal rights to the girls anymore and their mother has brainwashed them. The court agreed to my father that they would make the mother stay if he did counseling with them and what not. My father is head of a big construction company and never takes time off. So now the mother has all the rights. They are the most nervous and frightened young girls you will ever meet because of their mother. I dont want her to be able to take them so far away from me. I am one of the only sane people in their lives and I can't let them be alone with her. What do I do?

You can't do anything. You don't have any legal standing in this matter.

I realize your father is very busy but only he had the opportunity to change this - you said the mother (and girls) would have been forced to stay if he had gone in for counselling - he did not and so he lost that opportunity. The Court will look at that as a lack of interest and/or cooperation. They gave him a chance and he didn't take it.

If the mother is unfit, then your father - or an interested party - could make that charge. If she is NOT unfit that report would make things worse, particularly if the info is untrue.

The best you can do is stay in touch with them and see how this plays out.

[stinawords]

You said your father dosen't have any legal right to them. Does that mean that his rights were terminated or that his visitation was revolked because he didn't comply with the court ordered counseling? There is actually a large difference between the two which is why I asked. You have no ground to try to stop her because she is the mother and apparently has already been to court. If there is some proof that she is an unfit parent (extreemly hard to prove) and you are living on your own able to support them then you could file for custody but at only 18 that isn't likely the case.

[Fr_Chuck]

There is nothing you can do. If their father will not do what he is suppose to do, and if he will not take the time to see and want to be with his daughters there is little you can do. I am sorry not the answer you want to hear, but you try and keep in contact with them, write them, visit if and when you can