Can Grandparents Get Court-Ordered Visitation In Alabama?
At first glance, Alabama looks like a paradise for multi-generational families. It is nothing unusual to see three or even four generations of a family shopping together in the supermarket. Many Alabamans live in the same area where their grandparents’ grandparents are born, and their families are always nearby to share companionship, responsibilities, bulk groceries, and restaurant promotions that require you to buy more food than a family of four could eat. Not every family looks like the portrait on a family Christmas card, though. When times are hard, grandparents pick up the slack. Many Alabama children live with their grandparents because their parents are separated from them by grueling work schedules, or worse, by addiction or incarceration. Likewise, not all adults get along with their grandparents. Some grandparents are as controlling and opinionated as their children think they are. The courts in Alabama have the authority to grant court-ordered visitation to the grandparents of minor children, but only when this is in the best interest of the grandchildren. If you have been a source of stability for your grandkids, but now your kids don’t let you see them, contact a Birmingham child custody lawyer.
Parents’ Decisions Take Precedence Over Those of Grandparents
The basic assumption of Alabama law is that children have the right to spend time with both of their legal parents (related to the by birth or adoption) and to receive financial support from both parents. The parents have the final decision about where the children spend their time and who they spend it with. If the parents are not married to each other, they negotiate to draft a parenting plan, which awards a certain number of days of court-ordered parenting time to each parent and addresses other non-financial matters related to parenting.
Some people have a close relationship with their extended families and others don’t. Some couples resort care so uc about spending certain special occasions with extended family members that they resort to litigation about parenting plans, and the judge decides which grandmother gets to take the kids shopping on Black Friday each year.
You Have a Chance to Prove to the Court That Your Grandkids Need You
In some cases, grandparents can petition the court for court-ordered visitation time. To do this, you must show that it is in the children’s best interest to continue having a predictable relationship with you. You can do this if the parents are not married to each other and if the children have previously lived with you for at least six months. Grandparents who get court-ordered visitation are not legal parents of the children, so they do not have to pay child support.
Contact Peeples Law About Grandparent Visitation
A Birmingham family law attorney can help you formalize a parenting plan and establish court-ordered visitation with your grandchildren so that you can continue to be a source of stability for them, even if this requires a judge’s decision. Contact Peeples Law today to schedule a consultation.
Source:
law.justia.com/codes/alabama/title-30/chapter-3/article-1/section-30-3-4-2/
