Bad blood can complicate family matters and as a grandparent, you may feel like a bystander when parents bicker over your grandchildren. In the worst cases, parents may even deny you the right to see your grandchildren.

When you want to see your grandchildren flourish, you may wish to step in and be a part of their lives. As Maryland statute dictates, equity courts may allow for visitation provided it serves your grandchildren’s best interests.

Appeals and mediation

If you and your children fail to find common ground when it comes to you visiting your grandchildren, you may wish to consider arranging for a formalized visitation schedule. Many courts may assume that an agreed-upon schedule accounts for a grandchild’s best interests. Mediation may help facilitate your family coming to that agreement.

Proof of exceptional circumstances

Your situation is unique and if your task is to petition for visitation despite a parent’s wishes, then your goal is to show the courts that the situation merits that visitation. This may involve proving that the parents are unfit to properly care for your grandchildren. There may also be a precedence of you taking care of your grandchildren prior to the choice to deny you visitation.

It is a difficult thing to hear from your child or their spouse that you are unwelcome in their or your grandchildren’s lives. However, there are options for grandparents seeking to be a support in the grandchildren’s lives. When arranging for mediation or an appeal to the courts, it is important to understand those options and what resources you may have available to you.