IS THERE A WINNER IN PARENTS vs GRANDPARENTS RIGHTS?

Yes! & Yes!

Please don’t throw tomatoes and rotten eggs at me until you read this post through.  Then you may still want to throw them but I don’t think so.

I continually state that the whole purpose of my commitment to this issue is “The best interest of the children”.   That takes care of the first Yes.  To the extent that we continue to put this debate on the table I promise you the children will benefit.  I have learned this week that the Supreme Court is considering taking another look at Grandparents Visitation Rights.  Regardless of the outcome of this ruling it is good for the children to have adults exerting all this effort on their behalf.  I have included a link at the bottom of this post to the latest information about this development.  I also believe that it is good for the children to have significant adults, other than parents, looking out for their best interest.  I am crystal clear on parents rights for FIT parents, however, sadly not all parents are operating at that level.  In these cases the grandparents are the best hope to raise awareness and ultimately be there to rescue the kids if necessary.  Let me repeat, this is not a contest between Parents and Grandparents it is clearly a hightened awareness of the childrens rights to all the love they can get and deserve.

The second Yes stems from the fact that the family structure has been going through some fundamental changes over the past decades and the simple black and white interpretation of the Constitution is not serving the folks it was originally intended to serve..  Our founding fathers showed extraordinary wisdom in granting fit parents the rights and responsibilities of raising their children in the manner they think best.  I have and do agree with that 100%.  The rub comes in parents trying to live up to the FIT part of that declaration in today’s world.  The biggies that challenge them are; Divorce, Drug abuse and incarceration.  I think it is safe to say that these were not considered biggie in the mid 1700’s.  Add to that the mobility of our society, the longevity of our grandparents, etc.

Now you can commence throwing if you wish.  Since knowledge is power here is the link that I promised.  http://www.menslegal.com/blog/entry/us-supreme-court-to-announce-soon-if-it-will-hear-case-regarding-grandparent-visitation-rights.html.

My hope for you is Great-Grandparenting.  NEIL