Child abandonment

My granddaughter and her boyfriend have three children together. They have never married. They are both doing crystal meth. He cannot hold a job and she cannot get one the way she looks. She looks like a ghost and has meth sores. They have my daughter and her husband taking care of the three children. The parents do not furnish any support for the children. The parents come visit when it is convienent for them. My granddaughter and her boyfriend do not provide for the children, they do not take care of them. The children are neglected when they are with their parents. They would not even take them to get their shots when they had the children. The children were on medicade and she let that lapse. I would like to know if my daughter has any rights to get the children legally. We all live in Texas.

If everything you say is true about your grandaughter and her boyfriend, I believe the question is not "Can they (your daughter) get custody?" but rather why HAVEN'T they gotten custody?

You can hire an attorney and explain your ( your daughters) wishes to address this situation immediately and that you are viewing it as an emergency. Your attorney can express to the court that it is an exigent situation, and he can ask the judge to award you (your daughter) temporary emergency custody. This is a critical step, because it does something very important--it legally recognizes the possibility that someone other than the biological parents are caring for the children and establishes them as guardian in the eyes of the law. If this is not done, your grandaughter and her sperm donor can, at any time, take the children, since they do, in fact, as biological parents have the right to do so, regardless of any objection any of the family may make---even your daughter cannot stop her from taking back her children unless this court order granting emergency custody is in place.

You need the best attorney family you can find. These children are blessed to have a grandmother and great grandmother who care enough to see them get the help they need.

Gentle winds.

If your daughter (and family) can show the courts it would in fact be in 'the best interests of the children,' yes, I believe she has "rights to get the children legally." http://www.legalmatch.com/law-librar...-in-texas.html may be of some help to you; a good family attorney in your area can help clarify your particular state's laws regarding obtaining both custody and legal guardianship for those children. Accepting your post at face value, I believe at the very least she may be able to document a very real form of child abuse, particularly if they're exposed to either the presence or effects of illegal drugs.

Personally, I'd suggest she contact that attorney as soon as possible. Good luck to all of you.