All You Need To Know About Grandparent-Grandchild Closeness
Grandparents are often perceived to be family watchdogs, stress buffers, arbitrators, and supporters. They teach the lineage history, instill ethnic heritage vibes, and pass on family values and traditions.
Often, they offer much advice for the deep-seated family issues. Indeed, grandparents have a matchless influence on families.
Additionally, research reveals that children find acceptance in their grandparent’s relationships, which comes with emotional and mental benefits. Today’s growing senior population and increasing maternal employment rate results in more grandparents taking caregiver position for their grandchildren. Other factors contributing to grandparent adoption are divorce, high poverty levels, and teen pregnancy rates, among others. In other cases, the legal custody of grandchildren makes surrogate grandparent parents.
Are you looking for ways to foster strong relationships between grandparents and grandchildren? Are you a grandparent looking to build bonds of love and friendship with your young generation?
This quick guide will help you on what fosters the strong bond, and the rights you have as a grandparent to ensure your grands get the grandparent time they deserve. They have their grandparents visitation rights.
What Determines Grandparent-Grandchild Closeness
The listed are crucial elements for developing a good grandparent-grandchild relationship.
· Emotional closeness
Children are normally closest to their parents and siblings first; then grandparents occupy the second tier of emotional attachment. And as the kids grow, their circles enlarge, and grandparents are displaced or belong to an outer level circle of attachment. On the flipside, grandparents are aging, and their circles are shrinking. They want their grandkids near them as they deteriorate in health and suffer some age-related sicknesses. Grandparents who develop early emotional bonds with their grandkids usually develop an unbreakable bond that would survive the changes both generations go through.
· Regular contacts
Frequent contacts nurture close relationships between grandparents and grandchildren. The high rate of divorce, among other factors, is affecting the growth of this relationship.
But wise parents take it upon themselves to foster a strong bond between grandparents and grandchildren through regular visits, phone calls, videos, and taking time in joint-activities.
· Tolerance on Values
Although grandchildren acquire much of values from their parents and grandparents at an early age, they are likely to develop their own values as they mature. This May sometimes times lead to a generation gap when the older generation lacks social tolerance.
As much as grandparents shouldn’t lose their values, they should be willing to listen to the grandkids and develop a relationship based on tolerance and love. They should focus on areas of common interest.
· Grandparent’s role in the family
Often times, the function of grandparents in the family determines the depth of their bond with grandchildren. For instance, for grandparents who provide actual or surrogate care to their grandchildren can bond so easily.
According to research, the regular presence of grandparents builds closeness with grandchildren.
Grandparenting Rights
With several guardianship or custody cases, grandparents are the most common family members to take on care duties. They often find themselves vulnerable when grandchildren enter their care. They can meet legal challenges. The increased medical care, retirement, wills, and power of attorney can all create some hitches. Grandparents can always approach grandparents’ rights defenders such as Tulsa grandparent’s attorney to seek legal assistance and representation in protecting their grandparenting rights.
Grandparent custody rights
When a family court awards a custody right to a grandparent, the child resides with their grandparent who provides basics needs as well as getting involved in all the upbringing.
In this case, the kid’s parents must be unable to raise the kid. The grandparent must demonstrate that:
- the safety of the grandchild is guaranteed
- he/she is willing to raise the child
- He is financially stable to cater to the child’s needs
- The kid is emotionally attached to the grandparent
Grandparents visitation rights
Here, the grandparents seek legal assistance to enjoy a continued relationship with their grandchildren through visiting. This happens when the child’s immediate home is potentially harmful, and the continued visitation can help address or mitigate the situation.
The grandparent must demonstrate that the visitation will be in the best interests of the grandchild.
Grandparent adoption rights
This means that the court allows the voluntary surrender of parental rights to the grandparent. Typically, the court looks into the parent’s inability to look for the child and how the grandparent has taken responsibility during that time.
Finally, the court will determine whether/not there will be an interaction between the parents and the child and to what extent.
Grandparents Foster Care Rights
This is when the grandparent applies to be awarded the right as a foster caregiver to the grandchild.
Foster care rights offer continuity of grandparent-grandchild to thrive something which is not available with foster caregivers who are strangers.
Do I Need To Consult About Grand Parenting?
Issues to do with grandparenting are overly complicated. Fortunately, you don’t need to walk this journey alone as there are deducted attorneys who specialize in the matter.
Tulsa grandparents attorney are the best Oklahoma grandparents attorneys. They ensure that you get your rights awarded by the court, including visitation, adoption, and custody, among others.
Additionally, the right grandparenting attorney will advise you on the available options as well as the required legal documents.
Most importantly, they will represent you in a family court until you see your relationship with your grandchild legally determined.
