Grandparent's Rights
Do grandparents have rights? They most certainly do. In recent years more grandparents have begun to fight for visitation rights and even custody of their grandchildren. When parents divorce,
grandparents sometimes get caught in the middle. They may be denied the right to see their grandchildren for no apparent reasons, other than the parent's personal choice. Nevertheless, grandparents do have the right to spend time with
their grandchildren, unless there are extenuating circumstances, such as abuse of some sort. If the grandparents are proven unfit or in any way a danger to their grandchildren, then they will be denied visitation rights. If there are no
circumstances such as these that would be considered harmful to a child, then the grandparents have every right to fight for visitation rights.
Grandparents are the backbone of the family circle. They are the lifeline that provide their
grandchildren with the history of their family members who came before them. They help to provide young ones with values, as they work to keep stability and constancy alive. To deny grandparents the right to see their grandchildren is
unfair and immoral. Grandchildren need family and should not be kept from their grandparents. By denying grandparents time with their grandchildren, these children are being denied the opportunity to receive all that their grandparents
have to offer.
Grandparents have much to share, such as love, affection, knowledge, and a rich legacy of family. Just because a marriage ends in divorce is no reason for children to be kept from the rest of
their family. Perhaps two spouses cannot come to terms with their disagreements, but they should put their personal feelings aside and do what is in the best interest of the children. Grandparents play a unique role in the lives of
grandchildren. They develop a special bond that only grandparents can. Family bonds need to kept strong, not severed by jealousy and vengeance. Children should not be denied the right to know family members because parents cannot put
personal feelings aside and try to find forgiveness in their hearts.
Unless you are in a situation where physical, sexual, or substance abuse is a problem, or
there is some other sort of potential danger to your children, you should try to make some sort of agreeable arrangement so that the children can visit their grandparents. If you are a grandparent who has been denied the right to see
your grandchild due to the divorce of your adult child and spouse, you should try discussing it with the custodial parent in a civil manner. If no arrangement can be made, or a workable solution cannot be agreed upon that is satisfactory
for all parties, then perhaps you should seek legal counsel. It is always better for the children if solutions can be found out of court, but if this does not seem to be forthcoming, then legal counsel would seem to be the best way to
proceed.
Grandparents do have rights, but remember to try to make things as easy as possible for everyone involved, especially the children. After all, they are the ones who are innocent and most
important. They should not be caught in the middle of a power struggle between their parents and grandparents.
