In many families in Tennessee, grandparents play a huge role in the grandchildren’s lives. They are almost like a second set of parents. Even in families that are not as close, grandparents still play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren. This can cause devastation when a divorce occurs between the children’s parents. Grandparents often get pushed to the side and forgotten about, which means the children’s relationships with them suffer damage. If you are a grandparent, you may wonder if you have any rights to visitation with your grandchildren.
According to the Tennessee State Courts, grandparents do have some rights when it comes to visitation with grandchildren. However, parents hold the initial right to allow such visitation. If the parents are keeping the children from the grandparents, then they have some recourse.
If you are in this situation, you should be aware that the court will require you to prove your case. You must show the parents are keeping you away from the children. You have to show that visiting with you is in the best interest of the children and that they will be harmed by not seeing you and having you in their lives.
It is important to note that initially, the parents have the right to deny visitation, but once the court steps in, parents lose that right. The court takes over as the authority because it has already found that you need to be in your grandchildren’s lives. If there is a motion to modify your visitation by the children’s parent, the court will not consider the parent’s initial rights to have a say in visitation matters. This information is for education and is not legal advice.