Grandparents Visitation – Page 4

April 1, 2011

Do Grandparents have visitation rights?

A frequently asked question about grandparents rights is whether a grandparent who has been alienated from their grandchild by the child’s parents can seek visitation privileges with their grandchild. Whether a grandparent has a right to visit a grandchild is sometimes a complicated issue that varies by state. Whether or not a grandparent can petition the court for visitation rights to their grandchildren depends location and upon the circumstances present in their case. I go into great detail about these […]

March 2, 2011

Grandparents visitation rights

Grandparents can be awarded visitation rights to their grandchildren, but it is often a difficult process and the difficulty varies from state to state and even court to court. In my book No Greater Loss I cover all of the issues surrounding grandparents visitation, and I’ll try to give you some idea of the general situation here. State statutes providing visitation to grandparents generally require that a number of conditions occur before visitation rights can be granted. The marital status […]

February 8, 2011

The importance of grandparents

How important is it for a child to maintain a relationship with their grandparents and great-grandparents? In a word, very. Grandparents and great-grandparents represent the grandchild’s personal connection to the past, the link to their family’s history. They educate and care-give in ways that the grandchild’s parents simply cannot. They have learned the value of patience and they understand fully the value of time. Looking through the elders’ eyes, they want to be with the children of their children and […]

January 10, 2011

Mistakes to avoid when seeking grandparents visitation rights

Seeking to obtain grandparents visitation rights can be a very trying event for any grandparent. When we usually see our grandchildren on a normal basis and that is taken away it can leave us very sad. We miss them very much because they are so much a part of our lives. We love the relationship we have with our grandchildren. My book No Greater Loss addresses the issue of grandparents visitation rights in detail. Knowing just what you should do […]

December 10, 2010

History of grandparents visitation rights

Grandparent visitation rights and the visitation rights of other nonparents did not exist more than 40 years ago. Visitation rights, in fact, only applied to the parents of a child. Today, every state has created statutes to govern the visitation rights of grandparents and others, such as a foster parent, a caregiver, or a stepparent. These visitation laws allow grandparents and others the legal right to visit a child. State Rights Each state has incorporated statutory guidelines for granting visitation […]

December 5, 2010

Safeguarding your grandparents visitation rights

When the parents of your grandchildren have a troubled relationship, you will, of course, be concerned about your child, but you should also be concerned about the possibility of losing contact with your grandchildren. In the event of a divorce or other broken relationship, you may have to resort to mediation or even a lawsuit to secure your grandparents visitation rights. Since the Supreme Court case of Troxel v. Granville the grandparents have had the burden of proving that visitation […]

November 22, 2010

Grandparents visitation rights and divorce

Grandparents should consider visitation rights as soon as they learn of a divorce, and should begin preparing their case for grandparents visitation immediately. In some cases, extended family members may have a say in how custody is determined, especially if they are seeking custody on a more formal basis. For example, some divorce cases bring to light other issues, such as abuse and neglect, in which case children become wards of the state if no one else steps up to […]

November 19, 2010

Should you file for grandparents visitation rights?

There are a variety of different circumstances in which it may be appropriate for a grandparent to file for grandparents visitation rights. In the instance where a divorce has become quite bitter and a custody battle has erupted, court ordered visitation has been found to give the grandchildren a sense of continuity and stability. This is especially true in the case where the grandparents are the parents of the non-custodial parent. Parents of Non-Custodial Parent Often, the parents of the […]

November 12, 2010

Improving your chances of gaining visitation rights

Grandparents concerned with visitation rights should know that there are no firm rules for determining when a court will grant visitation as every case is decided on its own facts and merits. Grandparents can, however, take steps to improve their chances of gaining visitation rights. In deciding visitation cases, courts often consider the previous relationship between the grandparent and grandchild, and they look favorably on evidence of a consistent and caring relationship. For this reason, a grandparent should try to […]