WombatReaper
New Member
Hi all, I'll try to be as brief as possible.
My girlfriend, who is 15, is suffering from physical and emotional abuse, mainly via neglect. Healthcare is nil, her parents will not take her to the doctor when needed, she has only been to the doctors once in the past two+ years that she can recall, and that was for a severely sprained knee, after which she was supposed to attend physical therapy for. Her mom never took her to physical therapy, and she hasn't been back to the doctor since, even though we both suspect she has asthma (most likely caused/aggravated by the uncleanliness of the house that she lives in and the fact that both her parents smoke), her knee is acting up terribly, sometimes to the point to where she can't walk, she gets migrane headaches almost on a daily basis, which stems from a suspected spinal problem from a car accident she was in with her mom several years ago.
I could go on.
Another area of neglect is food, her parents haven't officially gone grocery chopping in over a month, only stopped to get take out or pick up some junk food once and a while. Bear in mind that this is a family of 9, ranging from a 1 year old toddler, to my girlfriend, who is 15, and both her parents.
The parents frequently leave the kids home to go do as they please, take motercycle rides or dine out with friends, etc, and that leaves my girlfriend in the parental position almost 24/7, considering the addition of the dad being gone at work from 4AM to 7PM, (figuring in about an hour commute and lollygagging on the way home) and her mom being gone at college from 4AM 'till about 7PM (she carpools with the husband)
That leaves my girlfriend in charge of 6 siblings, who are, as expected, chaotic little devils.
I could go on to describe the various horrors, but it's not quite the point of my message.
The best option I've been able to come up with is for a fitting family to take guardianship over her, as she undoubtedly will not fare well if she stays put for much longer.
She does have a bit of family nearby, but none of them are willing to take her in. (we know this as she's approached them before in attempt to distance herself from her home)
The only family that she knows that would be willing to take her in is mine, now aside from the fact that we're in a relationship (I'm not sure if that even makes much of a difference, but I'm assuming that it might) it's a perfectly fitting home. It's a safe, Christian home, respectful and clean, free from drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, etc etc.
Now, what I'm wondering is.. would it be advisable to pursue guardianship of her?
My mom is a tad hesitant because of the fact that she doesn't want to get into any legal trouble, though she's understandably wary. Other than that she wants the best for my girlfriend and cares a great deal for her, and would like to help in any way she can.
The only problem she see's is that we live on a fixed income, and can only afford a 2 bedroom duplex at this time. She's worried that it would create problems, sleeping wise. I'm not sure if the state would approve of a converted garage or living room as a bedroom? (For me, of course. She would have the second bedroom.)
Anyway, I'm sorry for being long winded, I'd just like to know as much as possible about this process so that I can go over it with my mom, as well as my girlfriend.
The poor girl needs to have some sort of relief soon, she's strong, but she's being worn farther and farther down each day by having to take care of 6 kids and a home by herself. Oh, and did I mention that she's also responsible for homeschooling the lot of them as well?
Anyway, once again, if anyone has any info on the details of this process, or any advise, I'd really appriciate it.
Also if there are any judges or anything that could give insight onto how they might rule said situation, I'd be forever greatful.
Thank you all for reading, and thanks in advance for your help
My girlfriend, who is 15, is suffering from physical and emotional abuse, mainly via neglect. Healthcare is nil, her parents will not take her to the doctor when needed, she has only been to the doctors once in the past two+ years that she can recall, and that was for a severely sprained knee, after which she was supposed to attend physical therapy for. Her mom never took her to physical therapy, and she hasn't been back to the doctor since, even though we both suspect she has asthma (most likely caused/aggravated by the uncleanliness of the house that she lives in and the fact that both her parents smoke), her knee is acting up terribly, sometimes to the point to where she can't walk, she gets migrane headaches almost on a daily basis, which stems from a suspected spinal problem from a car accident she was in with her mom several years ago.
I could go on.
Another area of neglect is food, her parents haven't officially gone grocery chopping in over a month, only stopped to get take out or pick up some junk food once and a while. Bear in mind that this is a family of 9, ranging from a 1 year old toddler, to my girlfriend, who is 15, and both her parents.
The parents frequently leave the kids home to go do as they please, take motercycle rides or dine out with friends, etc, and that leaves my girlfriend in the parental position almost 24/7, considering the addition of the dad being gone at work from 4AM to 7PM, (figuring in about an hour commute and lollygagging on the way home) and her mom being gone at college from 4AM 'till about 7PM (she carpools with the husband)
That leaves my girlfriend in charge of 6 siblings, who are, as expected, chaotic little devils.
I could go on to describe the various horrors, but it's not quite the point of my message.
The best option I've been able to come up with is for a fitting family to take guardianship over her, as she undoubtedly will not fare well if she stays put for much longer.
She does have a bit of family nearby, but none of them are willing to take her in. (we know this as she's approached them before in attempt to distance herself from her home)
The only family that she knows that would be willing to take her in is mine, now aside from the fact that we're in a relationship (I'm not sure if that even makes much of a difference, but I'm assuming that it might) it's a perfectly fitting home. It's a safe, Christian home, respectful and clean, free from drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes, etc etc.
Now, what I'm wondering is.. would it be advisable to pursue guardianship of her?
My mom is a tad hesitant because of the fact that she doesn't want to get into any legal trouble, though she's understandably wary. Other than that she wants the best for my girlfriend and cares a great deal for her, and would like to help in any way she can.
The only problem she see's is that we live on a fixed income, and can only afford a 2 bedroom duplex at this time. She's worried that it would create problems, sleeping wise. I'm not sure if the state would approve of a converted garage or living room as a bedroom? (For me, of course. She would have the second bedroom.)
Anyway, I'm sorry for being long winded, I'd just like to know as much as possible about this process so that I can go over it with my mom, as well as my girlfriend.
The poor girl needs to have some sort of relief soon, she's strong, but she's being worn farther and farther down each day by having to take care of 6 kids and a home by herself. Oh, and did I mention that she's also responsible for homeschooling the lot of them as well?
Anyway, once again, if anyone has any info on the details of this process, or any advise, I'd really appriciate it.
Also if there are any judges or anything that could give insight onto how they might rule said situation, I'd be forever greatful.
Thank you all for reading, and thanks in advance for your help
