I am the step mom. I realize I have no control and am just a supporting actress, but I’m crowdsourcing opinions. My husband has a daughter (15). We have been together 10 years and have done the every other weekend, all school breaks, half the summer thing for the last 10 years. We have literally never had a SINGLE conflict, ever. The mom (coparent) has always been a bit weird religiously, but people can believe what they want. Over the last 2 years, the mom has joined what I can only describe as a Jewish-Pentecostal cult. It has resulted in her (and a group of strangers from the church) telling my stepdaughter she has a demon, that she’s damned for hell, and threatening not to allow her to speak to or hang out with her friends. My stepdaughter is unhappy and is threatening to move out and live with us. This situation seems insane to me. Does anyone have experience with something similar?
As a step-parent, your most important job right now is to ensure the girl has a safe and welcoming environment in your house. At 15, she could quickly decide to leave this situation. My friend went through something similar and ended up with his kids living with him after leaving a cult.
Does your state do minors counsel? It might be a way to have your daughter’s voice heard about how damaging this is for her emotionally.
Tech N9ne KlusterFuck. All too familiar.
Assuming dad has joint legal custody, approach this carefully. If you can find a lawyer familiar with custody cases against this cult, that would be ideal. Focus on the best interest of the child.
The school will likely remain neutral unless they see something troubling. Have her talk to the school counselor about feeling unsafe with her mom. This could start a CPS case.
Get rid of the responsibility of co-parenting by religious excuse. I bet the judge sees right through this tactic.
Not an attorney, but in Tennessee, a child’s preferences are considered. Document everything and have the child do so as well.
Talk to a lawyer familiar with the cult’s practices and history. It could help your case.
Research the statute for your state about when a child may express their wishes regarding who they live with. Your stepdaughter should be involved in this process.
Your stepdaughter should speak to a counselor at school about being forced out of school. Is there a way to report her mother for this?
At 15, she has some power to say she won’t live with her mom. Go to court.
Your husband needs to find a local attorney experienced with this cult. The judge may be sympathetic to the situation.
Yes, thank you for the suggestion. I will ensure the attorney has relevant experience.
Missing school can be educational neglect. Focus on that rather than the religion itself. Document everything.
Speak to an attorney about the dependency court. I’ve seen children removed from harmful situations.
Teach your daughter to recognize abuse.
Contact an attorney about filing for an emergency TRO. She needs to express her situation to the judge.
This is a serious situation. We need to act quickly to ensure her safety.
The cult might use religious justification to alienate the child from the other parent. A judge will likely see through this.