A Change in Your Grandkid’s Life is a Change in Yours
Has a recent life change affected the status of your relationship with your grandkid(s)? Perhaps your child went through a separation or divorce. Maybe your grandchild was adopted. Possibly your grandkid’s parent is incapacitated or even incarcerated. If you’re afraid that your relationship with your grandchild will change, you should know what to expect.
The first thing you should know is that you have no legal right to stay connected with your grandchild. Whether you’re related by blood or not doesn’t make a difference. If either of your grandchild’s parents doesn’t want you to see their child, you will have to fight for that right.
If your child divorces their spouse and doesn’t retain custody of their child, it could be difficult for you to keep in touch with your grandchild. Provided that your grandchild was adopted by a different family, they may not want anyone from the child’s birth family to be involved in their life. Presuming that your child or their spouse is unable to care for your grandchild due to physical reasons, you may not be able to step in and help. Supposing that your child or their spouse is in jail, you still might not be allowed to see your grandchild.
You Can Preserve Your Relationship with Your Grandkid
The good news is that you can change that. In the event that you’re unable to maintain a relationship with your grandchild because of a life change, you can go to court. In Oklahoma, family law dictates that courts can decide if it’s in the grandchild’s best interests for the grandparents to have visitation rights or even custody.
You are responsible for proving that you’re an asset to your grandchild. You need to show the Chickasha court that you are invested in your grandchild’s life, and you can prove it. Any communication with your grandchild, from letters and emails to texts and calls, can demonstrate that you’ve made an effort to be involved in their life.
More significant efforts such as babysitting, having them stay overnight, taking them on vacation, and giving them money will hold even more sway with the courts. What it comes down to is how involved you have been with your grandchild will affect how involved you will be. You’ll have a harder time convincing the court to allow you to see your grandchild if you don’t see them regularly anyway. If your relationship with your grandchild is well-developed and mutually beneficial, you have a good chance of continuing it.
Just because you are currently separated from your grandchild doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. You have the ability to change your situation. You can take the issue to court, where you can prove that you deserve to have a relationship with your grandchild, no matter the circumstances. A good grandparent will fight for their grandchild. When they do, it’ll likely pay off.