Brokenhearted Grandparents

October 4, 2011

Grandparents rights in Michigan

Grandparents in Michigan are entitled to grandparents custody and visitation under certain circumstances, but their rights may be subject to parental consent. Primarily, it is the child’s parents’ decision to determine whether a grandparent may visit with a child or not. Most often, grandparents will need to assert their rights only if they have been denied visitation by a child’s parents or custodian. Grandparents’ rights must serve the best interests of the child. If the child’s parent, who is related […]
October 3, 2011

Grandparents rights in Louisiana

As everywhere, grandparents rights in Louisiana are a complicated and tangled affair. I’ll do my best to explain the current situation. More information on grandparents rights in general and an explanation of many of these terms and legal concepts can be found on my website Caring Grandparents and in my book No Greater Loss. About 30% of adults in the U.S. are grandparents, and the number of children living with their grandparents has markedly increased in the last 20 years […]
September 29, 2011

Grandparents rights in South Carolina are constantly changing

One of the difficulties when dealing with grandparents rights is that the laws vary so much depending on your state. Grandparent rights in South Carolina have changed several times due to legal decisions. In some families, the grandparents are an important part of a family’s life and are able to see their grandchildren on a regular basis. In other families, though, the parents of the children may keep them away from the grandparents for their own personal reasons. The rights […]
September 26, 2011

The risk of losing our grandparents rights

I think most people would agree when we look back at our own childhoods that Grandma and Grandad play a very important role in our lives, especially if they live close by and they are in regular contact. Suddenly removing this bond can be devastating to the grandchild and throw the grandparents into emotional turmoil. This situation can suddenly come about for many reasons and because of this every case has to be treated individually. Grandparents rights are dealt with […]
August 3, 2011

What are a grandparent’s rights after their child’s divorce?

Are you in a situation where you feel you have lost the visitation rights to your grandchildren? Are you looking for a way to address that issue, legally or informally? The visitation rights of grandparents after divorce have been addressed many times by individual states for a variety of reasons. For one thing, advocates argue that grandparents provide a constant supply of support for children whose lives are otherwise disrupted by divorce. Advocates also argue that vindictive custodial parents may […]
July 28, 2011

What is considered by courts regarding grandparents custody

Courts grant grandparents visitation or grandparents custody to grandparents only when certain conditions provided in state statutes are met. Conditions for a grandparent to attain custody differ from those conditions required for visitation rights. A grandparent should be familiar with the conditions for either custody or visitation before determining whether to file a petition to request either from a court of law. Best Interests of the Child Courts in every jurisdiction must consider the “best interest of the child” when […]
July 23, 2011

When grandparents visitation rights are denied

In many families grandparents visitation is easy and frequent. Grandparents usually have a special relationship with their grandchildren.  However, in some cases, grandparents have to do far more than be caring, loving grandparents.  When parents have problems that prevent them from taking care of their kids, grandparents are usually the first relatives a parent will turn to in their time of need. What happens to the grandparents’ relationship with a child when a parent suddenly returns after a few years, […]
July 11, 2011

Grandparents rights in different states

One of the most perplexing problems with grandparents rights is that they vary greatly depending upon what state court system you are dealing with. At the most basic level, all states require grandparents to prove that the visits they seek are in the best interest of the grandchild. This generally means grandparents must show that their visits won’t be harmful in any way, and that they aren’t abusive or otherwise dangerous to the child. Beyond this initial hurdle, each state […]
June 13, 2011

Alabama SC strikes down grandparents visitation rights law

In a sad blow to grandparents rights the Alabama Supreme Court last week struck down a state law that guarantees visitation rights for grandparents, ruling that it unconstitutionally violated the rights of fit parents who might not want their kids to be around their grandparents. The SC justices overturned Alabama’s recently passed Grandparent Visitation Act in a 7-2 decision. To read more about this controversial issue check out my post on Grandparents Visitation Rights. Here is some of what the […]