Grandparents Rights

The thing that bothers me most about the increasing need for Grandparents rights is that it is the children who suffer.  Our grandkids deserve all the love and support we can give them.  It is when this support  is interrupted by two adults that are attempting to resolve and/or dissolve their own relationship with each other but using the children as weapons.  As a caring grandparent this makes me angry. I realize that marriages are disintegrating at an ever increasing rate.  It is because of, not in spite of this fact that their is an ever increasing need for both […]

Grandparents Rights are not something that are given to us.  It is incumbent upon us to be proactive.  I don’t mean that we take something from someone as much as we give something to the most important people in our lives.  In today’s legal climate the best way to insure your Grandparents visitation rights is to be so much a part of your grandchildren’s lives that you are virtually indispensable.  If you take every opportunity to create those magic moments that bond us to our grandkids your commitment to them will be undeniable.  It is an excellent idea for many […]

I wrote a hub page post on Monday and one of the comments reminded me why I do this stuff.  In my mind Grandparents rights are all about the kids.  I know in my heart of hearts that if we are to do anything with our energy then the highest and best use of that energy would be to help these little ones reach for whatever it is that they want in life.  A corny but true fact is that the more love and support they receive the better their chance to succeed at what ever they pursue.  Jump over […]

Grandparents have always had limited rights to visitation and custody of their grandchildren, and in 2000 the US Supreme Court limited these rights even further through its decision in the case of Troxell v. Granville. Currently the laws vary in each state. It is important to understand, however, that there are still some situations where a grandparent may have legal rights regarding a grandchild. Although a grandparent in many states lacks the ability to petition the court for custody of a grandchild, it may be possible to do so on a temporary basis in an emergency situation. This situation most […]

Many people do not recognize that grandparents can actually be awarded legal custody of their grandchildren, but that is actually the case in some events. This scenario tends to happen when neither parent can provide a healthy and sufficient home to raise their children. It also can occur when there are legitimate concerns about safety due to known instances of drug use or child abuse. It is important to remember that the grandparent does have the responsibility in these cases to identify themselves as a potential custodial parent and to got to the courts and follow up on this to […]

Grandparents rights cases rarely go as far as the courts, but even in those that don’t make it there it is important for grandparents to understand the factors a judge considers so that they have some leverage in negotiating their rights out of court. In actual court cases the importance of preserving and maintaining an existing relationship between the child and their grandparents will be weighed against the custodial parent’s need to exercise their parental rights and veto such visitation if they desire. There are several factors which judges consider: Is there an existing, positive relationship between the grandparents and […]

Situations in which grandparents raise their grandchildren are certainly not new, but the cases of this happening have been skyrocketing over the last decade. Studies are long overdue as to the number of grandparents in the country who are raising their grandchildren. State and Federal Government agencies that are responsible for gathering such family data need to address this issue. The number of grandparents raising their grandchildren has rapidly increased. With this increase some grandparents are finding themselves overwhelmed. Whole heartedly they take on the task of providing a loving, safe, stable environment for their grandchildren to thrive and grown […]

Are you having problems seeing your grandchild after a difficult divorce involving their parents? If so, the first thing you need to do is learn about the visitation laws in the state where your grandchild lives. State law is not going to give you the right to visit your grandchild automatically, but in some states you have the ability to ask a court for visitation rights. In those states, a judge will make the final decision after looking at your family situation. Each one of our 50 states once had laws that gave grandparents the right to ask the court […]

You don’t need to spend a fortune on a lawyer to go over your grandparents rights with you. Fortunately, there is a helpful resource in The Custody Center that spares you the pain of high legal fees and will get you informed and up to date on exactly what your grandparents rights are in your situation. By using the resources of The Custody Center instead of a lawyer you can easily make yourself informed of your grandparents rights but at the same time you can avoid both legal fees and the appearance of conflict that comes from hiring a lawyer. […]

Some grandparents may be surprised to know that they can actually be awarded legal custody of their grandchildren, but that does happen in some cases. Usually you see this situation in the event that neither of a child’s parents can provide them a safe and adequate home. Many grandparents know that after the Troxell Supreme Court decision in 2000 grandparents suffered a set-back in regards to what their grandparents rights were. However, this decision did not eliminate the idea of grandparents rights or custody at all. It simply meant that in cases of custody grandparents can only be awarded their […]