Q: Some years ago our son married a woman who had a young child. That
child has now become a rebellious teenager. Our son has not been able to effectively discipline her and we think the mother is not keen on seeing her daughter disciplined. We are worried that the teen will become pregnant. What responsibility does our son, the stepfather, have to this young woman?
A: Although I am a father, I certainly don’t consider myself a parenting expert. Parenting obviously is a challenging job, especially during the teen years when young people are learning to be independent. Perhaps you are overly concerned about your step-granddaughter and the possibility of a pregnancy.
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Although we may have concerns or disagree with our teenage children’s behaviour, we do have responsibilities.
Parents are responsible for the support of their children. That includes your biological children, children that you have adopted and children for whom you stand in place of a parent. When one marries someone with young children, you assume responsibilities for them. That’s the law.
Your responsibility for children continues until such time as they reach adulthood at the age of 18. If a child over 18 is not capable of looking after themselves due to physical or mental disabilities, then the obligation continues into adulthood.
In some instances the obligation continues if a child over 18 is pursuing an education and has not withdrawn themselves from the family. There are thousands of cases where the courts have struggled with the question of the obligation to support a child who is going to school.
Generally, the courts will look at the age of a child, academic success and whether the child has an academic plan as opposed to going to school because they don’t know what else to do.
While you might not be happy about it, if your 16-year-old daughter becomes pregnant, you have a continuing obligation to support her since she is still a minor.
Don Purich is a former practising lawyer who is now involved in publishing, teaching and writing about legal issues. His columns are intended as general advice only. Individuals are encouraged to seek other opinions and/or personal counsel when dealing with legal matters.
