I’m not the biological father of my daughter, but I’ve been in her life since she was 3.5 years old. Her biological father is an addict and has been mostly absent. My daughter recently expressed that she wants me to adopt her and take my last name. I’m wondering what the adoption process looks like in Maryland, especially since her bio father still has parental rights but is not involved in her life. What steps do I need to take?
You need a good family law attorney who can guide you through the process. Since your daughter is older, the judge will likely ask her about her wishes regarding the adoption.
Contact a family law attorney to start the process. You can’t do it without an attorney because of all the paperwork involved.
Without the bio dad’s consent, it might be tough. You can still try, but be prepared for challenges.
My husband adopted my daughter even without the bio dad’s consent. The judge can grant adoption if it’s in the child’s best interest.
First, check if the bio dad has lost his parental rights. If not, that could complicate things.
See if the bio dad will consent to the adoption. That would make the process much easier than having to terminate his rights.
We can contact him, and we might go that route. We want to do this the right way, and my daughter is excited about it.