Legal Question in Family Law in Texas

Getting custody of grandson

This is complicated. 1) Father has been in jail since child was 2 mos. old and will be incarcerated until 2013. He is a convicted sex offender (victim was 14 y.o. male). 2)Mother is my daughter and this was an unplanned pregnancy. I, the grandmother, have been taking care of my grandson 99.9% of the time. For a while, daughter was ''babysitting'' during the day while I worked, but now grandson is in daycare and mother is rarely home. Mother wants to have joint custody with me, but I want what's best for my grandson. He is now 16 mos old. When mom is around, he wants me, not her. She has stated she is unable to care for him and may be moving to another city within our state. She has admitted to having no patience and no desire to be tied down by a child. No matter what, she will always be his mother, but she doesn't want the responsibility. I don't want her to have to pay child support. Father is court-ordered to pay CS. What is the best way to handle this? Petition for custody or for guardianship? I've contacted Legal Aid. They are sending me written advice as they are too swamped with other cases. I cannot afford an attorney but feel confident in filing the proper forms myself. Thank you for your time.


Asked on 1/12/07, 6:02 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
James Grissom Law Office of James P. Grissom

Re: Getting custody of grandson

You've got it right. This is a suit affecting the parent child relationship. As long as you fill out the forms correctly, you should have no problem. But, what if you don't? Many lawyers take payment plans. This shouldn't be that expensive to take care of your granddaughter.

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Answered on 1/12/07, 6:06 pm


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