A person who, on a continuing and regular basis, provides for a child’s emotional and physical needs. • The psychological parent may be the biological parent, a foster parent, a guardian, a common-law parent, or some other person unrelated to the child.
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parent-alienation syndrome. A situation in which one parent has manipulated a child to fear or hate the other parent; a condition resulting from a parent’s actions that are designed to poison a child’s relationship with the other parent. • Some mental-health specialists deny that this phenomenon amounts to a “psychological syndrome.” — Also termed parental-alienation
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An adult who (1) is not the child’s legal parent, (2) has, with consent of the child’s legal parent, resided with the child for a significant period, and (3) has routinely performed a share of the caretaking functions at least as great as that of the parent who has been the child’s primary caregiver without
visitation order. Family law. 1. An order establishing the visiting times for a noncustodial parent with his or her child. [Cases: Child Custody 525. C.J.S. Parent and Child §§ 132–133.] 2. An order establishing the visiting times for a child and a person with a significant relationship to the child. • Such an order may
failure to thrive. Family law. 1. A medical and psychological condition in which a child’s height, weight, and motor development fall significantly below average growth rates. • Failure to thrive is sometimes asserted as a ground for alleging abuse or neglect by a parent or caregiver. 2. A condition, occurring during the first three years
care, n. 1. Serious attention; heed (written with care). 2. Under the law of negligence or of obligations, the conduct demanded of a person in a given situation. • Typically, this involves a person’s giving attention both to possible dangers, mistakes, and pitfalls and to ways of minimizing those risks (standard of care). See DEGREE
wrongful adoption. 1. An adoption in which the adoption agency fails to provide adoptive parents with full or accurate information regarding the child’s physical or psychological background. • The adoptive parents normally do not seek to nullify the adoption. Rather, they seek damages, usu. for medical care and for emotional distress. 2. An adoptive parent’s