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Simple English definitions for legal terms
stepparent
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A quick definition of stepparent:
A stepparent is someone who marries one of your parents after the other parent has died or divorced. They are not your biological parent, but they can become your legal parent if they adopt you. This means the other legal parent's rights must be terminated or they must give their consent.
A more thorough explanation:
A stepparent is someone who marries one of a child's biological parents after the death or divorce of the other parent. They do not have a biological relationship with the child.
Stepparents are not automatically considered legal parents of the child. They can become legal parents through a process called stepparent adoption. This process requires the termination of the other legal parent's rights or their consent.
Example 1: Sarah's parents divorced when she was young. Her mother remarried a man named John. John is Sarah's stepparent because he married her mother after her biological father left.
Example 2: After Tom's father died, his mother remarried a woman named Lisa. Lisa is Tom's stepparent because she married his mother after his biological father passed away.
These examples illustrate how a stepparent is someone who marries a child's biological parent after the death or divorce of the other parent. They do not have a biological relationship with the child, but they can become a legal parent through stepparent adoption.