You love your stepchild. You’ve been their mom or dad for years and always wanted to adopt them. They want you to adopt them. But sometimes it’s not that easy. Arkansas generally goes with shared custody, and parents who are still involved with their kids’ lives often don’t want to allow them to be adopted by their ex’s new spouse. Short of taking them to court to prove unfitness and have their parental rights terminated, what can you do? One solution is adopting your adult stepchild.
A long wait
An adult can be adopted without the consent of their biological parent. In Arkansas. anyone age 18 or older is an adult. So you can adopt your 18 year old stepchild without consent of the non-custodial parent. Your stepchild must consent, but with his or her agreement the process is simple.
It is certainly a long wait. However, adopting a child without consent can take years…and seem even longer.
Why adopt an adult stepchild?
The primary reason for stepparent adoption is always love and the importance of being a unified family. At 18, you and your stepchild will have many more years together. You may be together with grandchildren and great-grandchildren at family events in 50 years. It isn’t too late if this is your main reason for wanting to adopt your stepchild.
But there are also practical reasons. The legal connection can make things like estate planning, inheritance, medical decisions, and college planning easier. If you’ve spent a decade or more dealing with the complications of being a stepparent, you will certainly be ready to have the simplicity of being the legal parent. At some point, you may be very glad you’re the legal grandparent for similar reasons.
How does it work?
Adoption is a legal matter, and involves a court decision. Adopting an adult in Arkansas requires a similar legal process. There are two main differences. The first we’ve already mentioned: you don’t need the parent’s consent.
The other is that you don’t need a home study.
Adopting your adult stepchild is one of the simplest kinds of adoption.
Inquiry Form