Grandparents often value their relationship with their grandchildren. Sadly, not everyone has the opportunity to maintain contact with their grandchild. Tennessee offers some options to grandparents who are finding it difficult to have a relationship with their grandkids.
Grandparent visitation laws
Although there is no federal family law pertaining to grandparents’ visitation rights, Tennessee has state laws governing it. If a parent objects to their child seeing a grandparent, the court often upholds those wishes as long as they are for legitimate reasons. However, if the grandparents can show the court that visitation is in the best interests of the child, the judge might grant them visitation.
How grandparents can gain visitation with grandchildren
If a parent doesn’t object to the grandparents having visitation rights, the grandparents can see their grandchildren in certain situations. Grandparents may be granted visitation if the child’s parent is deceased or if the parents are divorced, separated or were never married.
Grandparents can enjoy visitation with their grandchild if the parents have been estranged from the child for at least six months. If a court in another state granted grandparent visitation, it may also stand in Tennessee. If the child lived with their grandparent for at least 12 months after being removed from the parent’s home, it can also result in visitation being granted.
Grandparent visitation can also occur when there is a strong bond between the grandparent and the child; if it can be shown that the relationship benefits the child and ending that relationship would harm them, the court is likely to grant visitation.
Whatever the situation, the grandparents must prove to the court that one or more of these situations is present. This can help their case and give them a better chance of gaining visitation with their grandchild.
The family law court system bases decisions on what’s in the best interests of the child. Grandparent visitation might be one of those best interests.
