Stepfather is ... Who is the stepfather? Meaning of the word

Unfortunately, the statistics of divorces is such that a rare person does not know who a stepfather is. Unless small children from complete families who do not have their own experience in this area can ask their parents this question. Nevertheless, often people do not think about the subtleties of a legal nature, giving their stepfathers some rights and duties that are not prescribed in any law. What kind of person is it, how to use this word correctly and what difficulties does the stepfather experience in life?

Who is the stepfather? Meaning of the word

According to the dictionary definition, the stepfather is a man who married a woman with children. Sons and daughters of a woman, illegitimate or born in a previous marriage, are in relation to the new husband's stepchildren or stepdaughters.

By and large, what does the word "stepfather" mean? This is the one who takes the place of the pope in the family, not being the biological father of children. In the female version - this is the stepmother, that is, the new wife of the father, who is not his children a mother.

Proper use of the word

A random error can be tolerated because, when pronouncing, the blind consonant letter "t" is slightly skimmed, and it is skipped. The stress is placed on the first vowel "o". In most cases, questions, as the word "stepfather" is written, does not arise - this is not a dictionary word, it does not require a separate memorization.

It would be incorrect to use this word in relation to the civil husband of the mother, without formal marriage registration. In this situation, much depends on the personal views of each member of the family, but, in terms of legislation, the stepfather is the official husband of the mother. If, after marriage, a man takes care of the children of his wife or conducts the procedure of adoption, then in all documents he is indicated as a father and receives the corresponding duties and rights.

"Stepfather": analysis of words by composition

Morphological analysis of the word in this case is unambiguous - noun, masculine. If, in the context, it sounds like "I missed my stepfather's house," and I mean the parental home (home of my father and parents), then this is an adjective, an instrumental case.

Morphemic composition: the root of "otch" and the ending "im." By case, this word leans in accordance with the rules of the Russian language: stepfather, stepfather, stepfather.

Rights and duties of the stepfather

Who is the stepfather in terms of legislation? According to the family code, between the stepfather and the children of his wife there are relations of the so-called "property". They are not relatives, but the stepfather receives a non-property right to participate in the upbringing of the children of his wife, provided that the exercise of these rights does not inflict physical, moral or material harm on children, and does not violate their own rights.

Many are interested in whether or not the stepfather's official marriage concludes with responsibilities for his stepson or stepdaughter. The law does not prescribe the duty of the stepfather (or stepmother) to materially support the children of his spouse (or spouse) from a previous marriage. Nevertheless, in the legislation there are reservations that protect the rights of children to material security on the part of an adult proprietor. This responsibility of the stepfather can be exempted from the court, assistance should be sought from the guardianship and guardianship authorities.

The law at the same time has a retroactive effect on the principle of reciprocity. If the stepfather did not formalize the adoption or guardianship of children, but at the same time provided them with regular material support for a sufficiently long time, then the stepson or stepdaughter appears before him with alimony obligations. That is, with the loss of ability to work, the stepfather can apply to the court to recover material support from an adult stepchild or stepdaughter.

The stepfather is equal in all rights with the father, if adoption is made. Ward also spreads the framework somewhat, allowing the stepfather to take part in the life of the child and at the same time giving him the appropriate duties.

Mutual relations with children of the spouse

It's no secret that between the children and the "new daddy" extremely complex relationships can arise: from slight dislike to hatred. "Who are you? Stepfather? You are not my father! "- a fairly frequent response of a teenager to any attempt at educational work. And not every man seeks to win the trust of children, to the appearance of which he had no relation. Competition for attention of the spouse and mother develops, and the situation in the family is seriously heated. What can be done in this situation?

First and foremost, do not show the child a negative in response to frank opposition. An adult has great experience, and it is he who must meet halfway, taking into account the age of children, their emotional turmoil. From the mother, too much depends, she should not stand aside and passively wait until everything settles down.

Stepfather or father?

To paraphrase a well-known advertising slogan, one can safely say that not all fathers are equally useful. For some reason, the mother still divorced this man. If the father has managed to tune the children against himself, the positive reaction of the child to the appearance of a new pope in the house is also possible. Who is the stepfather in this case? This is a senior comrade, and very often the old attitude works, that the real father is not the one who conceived, but who cared, protected, educated and raised.

If a child with a father who lives separately has a warm trust relationship, the stepfather becomes more difficult to fit into the life of a stepson or stepdaughter. Authority is subject to doubts and even criticism, and to achieve trust is much more difficult. It must be remembered that children are often completely biased and illogical. If the mother and father are simply divorced, the stepfather who has broken the family is guilty, even if he has met the mother after the dissolution of the marriage. And if the father has died, the child may well declare the mother a traitor. It takes a lot of tact and patience from adults not to aggravate the relationship.

Is the word "stepfather" insulting?

Traditionally, the title of stepfather has less negative connotations than a stepmother. Even the saying goes - "not a mother, but an evil stepmother." A man in such a situation is automatically considered the focus of virtue, because he took a wife "with a mite". This is a lot of patriarchal morality and double standards, not always the stepfather becomes a good friend and real father.

Is it possible to somehow replace this dry and official "stepfather" in other words, less alienated? For a child it can be extremely difficult in the moral sense to call my mother's husband a father, and even more so a dad. It can not be forced, it can only intensify confrontation. In some families, a name or patronymic is suggested as a compromise, only by name, or with the prefix "uncle". If a child after some time himself calls his stepfather a dad, this is a vivid demonstration of the achieved trust.