Grandparents’ calls for custody rights grow louder

There is quite a bit of drama playing out in family law courts across the nation (with Milwaukee being no exception) over whether grandparents have any right to be involved in their grandchildren’s lives. This is an issue that may hit home if a Milwaukee grandma or grandpa becomes the odd person out after a child gets a divorce, dies, loses child custody or signs away parental rights and (inadvertently or otherwise) winds up shutting the grandparent out of the grandchild’s life.

Legally, parents and parents alone have a Constitutional right to raise their children. However, all 50 states have passed laws that allow non-parent third parties (such as grandparents) a certain degree of contact with a child in certain circumstances. (Naturally, the appropriate circumstances differ from state to state). All of those laws were put into question, though, by a 2000 Supreme Court ruling that said such laws could not cut too deeply into the rights of a competent parent

However, that approach ignores the fact that social dynamics are changing and grandparents are playing larger roles in their grandchildren’s lives. Aside from the fact the most grandparents love their grandchildren very much, many of them offer their grandchildren financial assistance or other support. The demographic of grandparents being primary caregivers has jumped in recent years, too.

What are your thoughts about all of this? Do you think it is better to leave parents as the sovereign rights-holders when it comes to kids, or do you think grandparents should be allowed some access to their grandchildren?

Source: The Associated Press, “States’ grandparent visitation laws raise concern,” Stephanie Reitz, Nov. 5, 2011