[tdhraf]

My question is complicated. I will try to make it brief and will start from the beginning. I have a daughter born in 1994 and I am married to her mother (we split, reunited and married in 2002). I have another daughter born in 1995 and we will call her Merci. Merci mother put another man's name on the birth certificate. When Merci was 2 (in 1997) her mother contacted me (she was then living with another man whom she eventually married). She said that the man listed in the birth certificate was not the father and she thought I was. DNA said that I was. Merci has been living with her mother and the second man (now her step-father) since she was 11 months. At first, after learning of her existence, I did not see her but around 3 I started short visitation. She called me by my given name and her step-father was daddy. She is now 8 and is still living with the step-father and mother. I have not been able to exercise my visitation since January 8, 2003... over 14 months ago. From 1998 to 2002 I took her mother to court numerous to enforce visitation. She always promised she would do better and then after nothing happened to her in court she would keep her from me. I have already spent over $10,000 trying to enforce the Indiana Parenting Time Guidlines. Merci still calls her step-father daddy, even though her mother told me she would try to make her stop doing that. I haven't seen her in several months (phone calls / certified letters aren't answered) but when I did I was still called Rob or daddy Rob (this was my doing... trying to get her to call me daddy). Her mother has stated that she does not want me in their life, Merci has a dad, her step-dad. Even when I was seeing Merci, I was a baby-sitter, not a father. Her mother only wants child-support from me. I have a wife and 2 other children (a 9 year old and a 6 month old). I have finally realized that I will never be able to have a relationship with my middle child. She has known her step-father much longer than she has known me (thanks to her mother). I want to terminate my parental rights. They have mentioned before that they wouldn have the step-father adopt her but now that I am willing they refuse to even respond to my letters. Can I petition to have my rights terminated and stop paying support or am I just going to be continually in this situation?