No doubt everyone out there has heard about Sandra Bullock and Jesse James are getting a divorce. The question that burns in my mind… how could anyone cheat on someone as wonderful as Sandra Bullock? But, that begs the question for today.
Bullock, 44, married TV host and motorcycle builder Jesse James in July 2005. The couple met the previous year when Bullock arranged for her then ten-year-old godson to meet James, who hosted Discovery’s Monster Garage. James has two daughters and a son from previous marriages: 14-year-old Chandler, 11-year-old Jesse Jr., and five-year-old Sunny.
The couple won temporary full-time custody of Sunny in 2009, after James’ ex-wife, adult-movie star and former Penthouse model Janine Lindemulder, was sentenced to six months in prison for income-tax evasion.
Interestingly, in her recent Oscar acceptance speech for her role in the movie Blind Side, she said the award is “… for the moms that take care of the babies and children no matter where they come from. These moms and parents never get thanks.” Maybe she included herself and her step children in that message.
There has been a lot written about how much Sandra Bullock relishes her roles as step-mother. But, what happens if she wants to continue a relationship with Jesse’s children after the divorce?
Unfortunately, the law doesn’t favor step-parents’ relationship with step-children. In most states, including under Texas divorce laws, the biological parent will determine whether and when a step-parent can see the kids after the divorce. Much like grandparents, no matter how much money and love has been put into helping raise the children, the step parent is out in the cold when the relationship with the biological parent ends.
Thanks to Blogs On Divorce for the backdrop for this post.