Seeking Child Custody As A Grandparent: Tips To Keep In Mind

As a grandparent, there are few things in life as precious to you as your children and your grandchildren. Unfortunately, there are some grandparents who come to the troubling crossroads where they have to make a choice about the well-being of their grandchildren because their child is not taking good care of them. As a grandparent, you may be able to get custody of your grandchildren, but there are some things you should keep in mind along the way. 

You must be able to prove both parents as unfit. 

Even if the children are primarily with one parent, in order to get custody as a grandparent, you will have to take into consideration that every child has two parents. When you go to court to try to get custody, you can run into obstacles because it is usually considered in the child's best interest to stay in the custody of one of the parents. It is not uncommon for the other parent to be absent or just as unfit, which is something to discuss with your child custody attorney. 

You may have to take advantage of a situation to have a better case. 

It can sound like a horrible thing to do as a parent, but as a grandparent of a child that is potentially in danger, taking advantage when certain situations arise can give you an advantage in court. For example, if your child (the parent of your grandchild), gets arrested or leaves the children with you for an extended period, it is a good time to get the child custody case started by talking to an attorney. It is times like this that you can gather a lot of evidence to prove why you would be a better custodial parent to your grandchild. 

You will need a child custody attorney to help.

Many grandparents get involved in the process of trying to obtain custody of their grandchildren without ever seeking the advice of an attorney, but this is not the best idea. It is too easy to make mistakes in the process because there are so many emotions involved. Therefore, it is best if you have a legal professional to guide you in the decisions you make about trying to obtain custody. For example, if you act out of concern for the children and take them from the home without permission, this could make it harder for you to get custody. For more information, visit a website like https://www.molnarlaw.com.


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