When your son or daughter is going through a divorce and custody battle, there are some things you can do as a grandparent to help.
In addition to providing love and support to your own child and to your grandchildren as well, you can help play a role in the child custody case.
Your active involvement in your grandchildren's lives will strengthen your own child's custody case, and is usually seen as being in the best interest of the grandchildren in question.
Here are some things you can do to help protect your grandchildren's custody rights.
It's important to support your own child, but try to stay in contact with the "other" parent as well.
Staying on good terms will make the custody case and discussions easier on everyone involved.
Remaining as neutral as possible increases your chances of seeing your grandchildren on a regular basis, regardless of which parent has custody.
Be there for your grandchildren.
You are a trusted adult, and can be there to help and support the grandkids, whether you discuss the divorce and custody proceedings with them or not.
Don't be surprised if your grandchild doesn't want to discuss what is going on, and don't be afraid to let them know how important they are to your life.
Attend any court proceedings, and be prepared to testify.
Your role is to testify about what is best for your grandchildren, and not to be an advocate for your own son or daughter.
Often, what your "side" wants is also the best thing for the kids involved, but if you can make the point that you are primarily concerned with the welfare and happiness of the children, your testimony will be given greater weight.
If the "other" parent has primary custody of your grandchildren, you should know your legal rights.
Grandparents can have legal visitation rights granted by the court.
You may need your own lawyer to make this happen, though.
If both parents are unfit, you may be able to get full custody of your grandchildren.
Both parents will need to be unable or unwilling to care for the children, and temporary custody would need to be awarded by a family court.
If you are seeking custody of your grandchildren, you will need to demonstrate that you can offer them the best home possible, that you are financially and physically able to care for them, and that being in your custody is in their best interests.
If you do feel the need to seek visitation or custody through legal channels, you should hire a family law attorney to help you with your case.
An attorney should be familiar with the local laws and procedures, and be able to give you a good idea of the likely outcome of your case.
This should help you stand up for your custody rights.