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View Full Version : Grandparents right in Pennsylvania


ejkelly
09-13-2006, 01:08 PM
I would like to explain my situation first. My girlfriend was married and has a 2 year old boy to another guy who died of a overdose.His parentss come over once a week to see the boy and pretty much any time else they want witch I am fine with but lately they have been asking to take the boy to there house and my girlfriend refuse's to let them becasuse she fears for his saftey.(About ever 6 months they start this crap and it usually ends up in a big shouting match )So they say they are taking us for custody rights .What i am askiing is the possiable

stuckinamuck
09-13-2006, 01:34 PM
Some states do have grandparent rights.
Did the bio-father ever establish paternity(ie married, signed birth certificate, paid child support...?)
Is the child getting social security off the father's account (benefits based on the father's death?)
PA does have grandparent rights and the GP's could sue for visitation. But they would have a much harder time if paternity was never established.
http://www.divorcehq.com/articles/custodypenn.html

ejkelly
09-13-2006, 01:40 PM
yes the bio father did establish paternity.I just get so frustrated and want to tell them get lost and don't bother But i know thats not the right thing to do.They are really nice people until it comes down to trying to have a conversation and explain why my grilfriend dos'nt want them to take him with out her being there

stuckinamuck
09-13-2006, 01:52 PM
Maybe you should comprimise. Perhaps meet the grandparents at a park, McDonalds, bring the child to the GP's,etc...
Is there any reason (ie neglect, abuse,addictions, etc) that the grandparents are only getting supervised visitation in your home?
Perhaps if you offered once a month a unsupervised dayvisit of 5 hours. Then you and your could go to a movie or something. Think of it as a Free Babysitter and take advantage of it.

Untill the GP's take her to court, what she says goes and they will have to do as she says. She should not be afraid that the GP's wouldn't bring the child back. IF they pulled a stunt like that, the police would escort your girlfriend to retrieve the child and then if the GP's tried to get court ordered visitation that would look horrible for them in court!

ejkelly
09-13-2006, 02:07 PM
me personal i have no problem with them taking the boy for the day or even over night. My girlfriend feels they failed with the raising of ther son and fears the same if they have her boy.Also he thinks of me as his father and she does not want them telliing him other wise until she feels its the right time .They also have a funny way of greaving we give them 8 *10 photos and they take a picture of there son and paste it on the picture with there grandson not just one picture but everyone we give them

mommyof4
09-13-2006, 02:27 PM
me personal i have no problem with them taking the boy for the day or even over night. My girlfriend feels they failed with the raising of ther son and fears the same if they have her boy.Also he thinks of me as his father and she does not want them telliing him other wise until she feels its the right time .They also have a funny way of greaving we give them 8 *10 photos and they take a picture of there son and paste it on the picture with there grandson not just one picture but everyone we give them

If the grandparents sue, in PA, they most likely will be awarded visitation. Save the time and money and come to a reasonable solution. Just a point to bring up to your girlfriend...if they failed to raise their son properly, why did she find him to be a good enough man to concieve a child with? Another thing, the child should know that you are not his bio dad. It has nothing to do with the relationship you have with him, but it will be a much bigger issue if the news is sprung on him years after believing that you are his father.

(I personally don't see anything wrong with the picture thing. Sure, it's a little different, but it's not going to hurt anybody. Keep in mind that they loved and lost their son. If this is the way to keep him close in spirit and memory, more power to them.)

stuckinamuck
09-13-2006, 10:08 PM
I agree people do wierd things when people die... My great grandma died around Thanksgiving...so for X-mas we all decorated and put ribbons on the square chest where her ashes were kept. We even took the box of ashes on vacation with us. And when we would visit a relative, we took turns telling them we had her in the trunk...She had a great sense of humor.
Anyway, I could see that it would be hard to explain to a child that age that his real daddy is in heaven and is an angel. If you wish to be the "daddy" then marry your girlfriend and adopt the child.

xena
09-14-2006, 05:17 PM
I agree people do wierd things when people die... My great grandma died around Thanksgiving...so for X-mas we all decorated and put ribbons on the square chest where her ashes were kept. We even took the box of ashes on vacation with us. And when we would visit a relative, we took turns telling them we had her in the trunk...She had a great sense of humor.
Your story reminds me of my late fiancee. He was a career Marine for 20 years, went all over the world. Then he was a long distance truck driver for 20 years, went all over the country and Canada. When he died he was cremated and his ashes were split between me- in Florida, his oldest child in Tennesee, his next oldest in Washington state, another child in Missouri, and another child in Alabama (yeah, he was very productive- nine kids total :) ).

Some people have told me that it's weird to split the ashes that way, but for him it's very fitting that he's scattered all over because that's how he spent his life.

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