I’d like visitation with my ex-wife’s children, but I’m their stepfather. Can I be granted visitation?

You may be able to get visitation rights even if you are not the biological parent of the children. Some states allow stepparent visitation since the stepparent may have developed a close parental relationship with the children during the time of the marriage. These states realize that breaking this parental relationship could be harmful to the children and go against the stability and continuity sought after in the state custody statutes.

If the stepparent has adopted the child(ren), then the law treats that stepparent the same as a biological parent for purposes of custody visitation and support.