When people have children most assume those children will grow up, find a partner, settle down and start a family of their own. When individuals think about having grandchildren, they probably envision visiting them and taking them out for treats. Then the grandparents go back home having enjoyed the time spent. Unfortunately in Durham, NC and elsewhere, there seems to be a growing trend where grandparents end up raising their grandchildren. In Durham, NC when they seek official grandparent custody Durham NC seniors sometimes find it confusing and frustrating however.
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.
The most common way grandparents end up raising their grandchildren is by parents giving over authority. Sometimes the mother or father will drop off their children with the grandparents and disappear. Other times children spend more and more time with their grandparents until they are actually living with them full 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 who think the courts will give them special consideration because they are related to the children may be upset to learn the courts have no obligation to regard them as anything but an interested third party. If they already have had the children in their home full time for an extended period, they may have a better chance of resolving the issue in their favor.
Seniors involved in these types of situations should clearly understand that guardianship is not the same as adoption. If the parent's circumstances change, and they can prove they have the means and the ability to safely raise their children, the courts can, and often do, return the minors to the parental home and terminate the custodial rights of the grandparents.
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.
The most common way grandparents end up raising their grandchildren is by parents giving over authority. Sometimes the mother or father will drop off their children with the grandparents and disappear. Other times children spend more and more time with their grandparents until they are actually living with them full 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 who think the courts will give them special consideration because they are related to the children may be upset to learn the courts have no obligation to regard them as anything but an interested third party. If they already have had the children in their home full time for an extended period, they may have a better chance of resolving the issue in their favor.
Seniors involved in these types of situations should clearly understand that guardianship is not the same as adoption. If the parent's circumstances change, and they can prove they have the means and the ability to safely raise their children, the courts can, and often do, return the minors to the parental home and terminate the custodial rights of the grandparents.
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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