2. INTRODUCTION
Great Grandma Irwin: “It’s been awhile since you kids have
played ball…if you call them up they’ll cover over and play
ball with you…I like seeing you kids happy.”
Me: It has been awhile since we last played kickball.
Great Grandma Irwin: “Yah.. well.. it’s been awhile since I’ve
been happy.
3. Enthymeme
I believe, grandparents should be able to
get a court order to visit and maintain a
relationship with their grandchildren for
any reason, because if not, it can make the
grandparents feel like a stranger to their
own grandchildren, it takes away their
chance for closure before death, and
eliminates opportunity for traditions to be
passed down.
4. Warrant
“Historically, grandparents have had no
constitutional right to visitation with their
grandchildren.” (http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/)
“Ohio has authorized grandparent
companionship or visitation rights by statute in
three circumstances: (1) when married parents
terminate their marriage or separate, (2) when a
parent of a child is deceased, and (3) when the
child is born to an unmarried woman. In such
cases, a court may order reasonable visitation if
it is in the best interest of the child.”
(http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/)
5. Reason #1
There should be no restrictions against Grandparents
requesting a court order to visit their grandchildren, because it
can make them feel like a dangerous stranger toward their own
grandchildren.
• “Approximately 20 states have "restrictive" visitation
statutes, meaning that generally only grandparents can get a
court order for visitation -- and only if the child's parents are
divorcing or if one or both parents have died.” (Grandparent
and Caretaker Visitation Rights from http://www.nolo.com/)
6. Evidence #1
In the article Grandparent’s Visitation Rights by Amy Goyer,
she writes, “Grandparents are in every state and at every
socioeconomic level, and each of their situations is unique.
But they have one thing in common: They are heartbroken
to be kept away from their grandchildren.”
• "They withhold my grandkids, which is one of the most
painful things I have experienced." (interviewed
grandparent)
• "I raised my granddaughter the first four years of her
life. She is now seven, and her mom won't let me see
her or call. I'm afraid she (my granddaughter) will feel
abandoned.” (interviewed grandparent)
(from http://www.aarp.org/)
7. Reason #2
There should be no restrictions against Grandparents
requesting a court order to visit their grandchildren, because if
they can’t see their grandchildren it takes away their chance for
closure before death.
Grandparents represent one-third of the population with 1.7
million new grandparents added to the ranks every year.
43% of grandparents became grandparents in their
fifties, 37% in their forties, with the average age of
grandparents in this country at 48.
(info from http://www.grandparents.com/)
8. Evidence #2
According to http://www.grandparents.com/
• 72% think being a grandparent is the single most important
and satisfying thing in their life
• 63% say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren
than they did with their own
• 90% enjoy talking about their grandkids to just about
everyone (statistics from http://www.grandparents.com/)
In an article titled, How does a grandparent cope when denied
access to their grandchildren, by Sheree Zielke, she says:
• “It's been called, the "living death." I can't credit the
originator of that thought, but it is a perfect description for
the pain a grandparent feels when denied access to their
grandchild. The world becomes a thick gray blanket of hurt,
so heavy and so cloying, it sometimes seems impossible to
get out of bed. Let alone, get dressed and get on with daily
life.” (from http://www.a-better-child.org/)
9. Reason #3
There should be no restrictions against Grandparents
requesting a court order to visit their grandchildren,
because it eliminates opportunity for traditions to be
passed down.
• “Historically, grandparents have had no constitutional right to
visitation with their grandchildren.”
(http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/)
• “Ohio has authorized grandparent companionship or
visitation rights by statute in three circumstances: (1) when
married parents terminate their marriage or separate, (2)
when a parent of a child is deceased, and (3) when the child
is born to an unmarried woman. In such cases, a court may
order reasonable visitation if it is in the best interest of the
child.” (http://www.lsc.state.oh.us/)
10. Evidence #3
• “As the family historian/living ancestor, grandparents
share the stories of the past. These stories may be about
relatives, important events, family traditions, the
grandparent's own childhood or the grandchild's parent
growing up. As the stories of the family are passed on, the
grandchild gains a positive image of aging and their place
within the family. Grandparents and their stories can be the
"glue" which keeps the family together and contributes to
family identity.” (from GRANDPARENTS ROLE IN THE
FAMILY at http://www.a-better-child.org/)
11. Alternative Opinion
• What if the Grandparents are mentally unstable or
dangerous?
• Shouldn’t Grandparents be denied visitation rights if the
parents of the child feel as though they would cause more
harm than good for the child?
12. Response
• Answer: It’s not that they should be automatically denied
visitation rights, if they are dangerous then the parents
and grandparents should take it to court and the court will
decide the outcome of the Grandparents visitation rights.
The court system has a checklist of requirements that differ
depending on the state of residence.
13. Alternative Opinion
• What if the child is still young enough that he is still his
parents responsibility, but the child, personally, does not wish
to spend time with his grandparents? Should the child be
allowed to make that decision for himself and deny his own
grandparents?
14. Response
• Answer: I do not believe children should be able to decide
whether their grandparents can visit them or not, because
kids can easily be influenced by their, by their peers and
whether or not their friends are close to their own
grandparents, and are ultimately not mature to realize or
appreciate the opportunity to spend time with their
grandparents.
15. Conclusion
When Grandparents are not permitted to get a court order to
visit and maintain a relationship with their Grandchildren it
can make them feel like dangerous strangers toward their
own grandchildren, it takes away their opportunity for
closure before death, and eliminates opportunity for
traditions to be passed down.
I hope all of you have had an opportunity to talk to one of
your grandparents and build a good relationship with one of
them either in the past or present. I promise you don’t want
to miss your chance to spend time with your grandparents,
because you may never know what you have until it is gone.
