When grown children leave the house most parents assume they will begin their own lives, choose a partner, and hopefully provide grandchildren. Not all seniors anticipate that they may have to face the harsh reality of raising their children's children. Instead of having the freedom of spoiling little ones and then returning them to the parents, they have become the ones charged with disciplining, feeding, clothing, and nurturing another generation. In Durham, NC when they attempt to get official grandparent custody Durham NC seniors often face serious obstacles.
Parenting styles vary from household to household, and sometimes the older generation does not approve of the way their children are handling the day to day challenges of parenting. They may object strongly about everything from what the grandchildren eat to how they are disciplined. There is rarely anything they can do about it however, because removing children from the parental home is something social services and courts try to avoid.
You might assume drug abuse on the parent's part would be enough to separate children from their parents, but in many states that is not true. In some states a drug addicted mother of an unborn child can be charged with child abuse, but once the child is born, involving the child in drug activity may be the only thing in this situation that constitutes abuse.
Commonly parents with substance abuse and other serious problems end up abandoning their children to the grandparents. This can happen suddenly or over time. A parent may drop children off at the grandparents for the day and never show back up. In other circumstances, children spend more and more time with the grandparents until they are there all the time.
Sometimes children lose parents through death or imprisonment. When this happens grandparents can attempt to formalize their custodial relationship in the courts. It can still be difficult, because the judge is not required to give grandparents preferential treatment when it comes custodial rights. Many grandparents maintain an informal status filing paperwork so they have the authority to make medical and educational decisions.
Grandparents determined to get legal guardianship of their grandchildren often have a difficult time convincing the court they should have custodial care. They have more influence with a judge if they have already taken primary responsibility of the minors because the parents have abandoned their rights, have been proven abusive, or have been convicted of a serious crime. Grandparents will also have to prove granting them guardianship is in the best interest of the children.
Grandparents sometimes get very upset when, after they have been awarded custodial rights by the court, one or both of the parents return and want their children back. Seniors sometimes mistakenly assume legal guardianship gives them the same claim to the children as adoption would, but that is incorrect. If parents can convince the courts they are stable and have overcome their difficulties, guardianship is often returned to them.
Tensions can run high when it comes to how children are being raised and what constitutes a loving and stable home. Grandparents are important to their grandchildren, but they are seldom able to replace parents.
Parenting styles vary from household to household, and sometimes the older generation does not approve of the way their children are handling the day to day challenges of parenting. They may object strongly about everything from what the grandchildren eat to how they are disciplined. There is rarely anything they can do about it however, because removing children from the parental home is something social services and courts try to avoid.
You might assume drug abuse on the parent's part would be enough to separate children from their parents, but in many states that is not true. In some states a drug addicted mother of an unborn child can be charged with child abuse, but once the child is born, involving the child in drug activity may be the only thing in this situation that constitutes abuse.
Commonly parents with substance abuse and other serious problems end up abandoning their children to the grandparents. This can happen suddenly or over time. A parent may drop children off at the grandparents for the day and never show back up. In other circumstances, children spend more and more time with the grandparents until they are there all the time.
Sometimes children lose parents through death or imprisonment. When this happens grandparents can attempt to formalize their custodial relationship in the courts. It can still be difficult, because the judge is not required to give grandparents preferential treatment when it comes custodial rights. Many grandparents maintain an informal status filing paperwork so they have the authority to make medical and educational decisions.
Grandparents determined to get legal guardianship of their grandchildren often have a difficult time convincing the court they should have custodial care. They have more influence with a judge if they have already taken primary responsibility of the minors because the parents have abandoned their rights, have been proven abusive, or have been convicted of a serious crime. Grandparents will also have to prove granting them guardianship is in the best interest of the children.
Grandparents sometimes get very upset when, after they have been awarded custodial rights by the court, one or both of the parents return and want their children back. Seniors sometimes mistakenly assume legal guardianship gives them the same claim to the children as adoption would, but that is incorrect. If parents can convince the courts they are stable and have overcome their difficulties, guardianship is often returned to them.
Tensions can run high when it comes to how children are being raised and what constitutes a loving and stable home. Grandparents are important to their grandchildren, but they are seldom able to replace parents.
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