What's my legal standing as a grandparent to my teenage daughters daughter?

Question

Can anyobody advise me on my legal position. My daughter is 15 and lives at home with me with her daugter (7 weeks old).
My daughter has suddenly turned against me and honestly all I have done is totally support her in this shocking situation, and I have not spoken of my support or required praise I have just done EVERYTHING I can (and silently sacrficed a lot) and suddenly she has gone off of the rails (gone off getting drunk etc - and it is not how I brought her up) and I am concerned about my granddaughter - I need to know I can protect her OK if ever needed be. Can anyone offer suggestions please. Thankyou.

Answer 1

From the very beginning I would have made it perfectly clear that this baby was my DAUGHTER'S responsiblity not mine. It is one thing to be supportive and quite another to take over. Sounds to me like in your effort to be supportive you have taken over the raising of your grandchild. Not a good idea. If you felt that your daughter was incapable of being responsible for a baby then you should have either had her abort or put the baby up for adotpion once born. As far as legally, legally your daughter is an emancipated teen (her pregnancy emancipated her). So legally there really isn't much you CAN do unless she signs over guardian ship to you, which sounds good on paper but at any time during your guardian ship your daughter can decide to pack up and move AND take her daughter with her because she IS the biological mother. I suggest giving her an ultimatum. If she doesn't "step up to the plate" and become responsible for raising her daughter tell her she will have to put the baby up for adoption. I know that at this point you probably don't WANT to do that you could attempt to adopt the child yourself but I doubt any attourney would advise you to do so because again at any time during that child's life your daughter can come along and demand her parental rights back and being the biological mother is in a position to get exactaly that. Had it been my daughter, she would be going to school then coming home and tending to her child. The child would be in day care during her school hours because I work fulltime and am not going to quit my job and but MY future in jeapoardy because she can't take care of HER responsility. I would also seek child support from either the father of the child or his parents, as well as partial payment for day care. I would be there to help out my daughter with learning her own parenting skills but I would never take over. I raised my child and if and when she decides to have one of her own (she is now 20) that pregnancy/baby will be HER responsiblity not mine.

Answer 2

In my own experience, which hasn't been much, and I live in the state of MIchigan. I'm not sure where you're at. Grandparents do NOT have many rights to grandchildren. However, I'm not sure how different this is when the mother is a minor. HOWEVER, I DO know, if you're really concerned and need some help, I would suggest speaking to an attorney to see what they say your rights are since you're daughter is only 15.

If you DO feel that she's out of control and abandoning her 7 week old child, I wouldn't hesitate to try to get legal guardianship of the child. This would protect your grandchild from being raised in an unsafe environment. Furthermore, i would encourage you to find out what is going on with your 15 yr old. It may not be anything YOU'VE done, but rather something else. She may be overwhelmed with a new baby and realizing how much of her childhood is gone. I would seek some help of a counselor and find some time for you to take a breather.

Whatever the outcome is ..... good luck to you. I can't imagine what you're going through right now.

Answer 3

There is not much you can do legally.. Unless you want to try and prove her being an unfit mother and/or abandoning her child (keep in mind your daughter will hate you, oh for the rest of her life.. and it will ruin the relationship you two have)..

i was the same age as your daughter when i had my son.. first thing i did.. was ran out.. got drunk and so on.. just wait it out a little bit as long as your granddaughter is being taken care of (fed, diapers changed).. let your daughter go through her stage.. when you are that age and you have a baby and then you realize that life as you knew it is over.. and there is no turning back.. you go party.. you go through a little stage.. PERSONALLY i would let her go through that stage for a little while.. let it take its course.. what my foster parents did was waaaaaay extreme.. and they told me to get out.. i would not kick her out like they did to me.. what i would do.. is i would make her get a part time job if she doesn't already have one to pay for diapers and let her see what it is going to be like out in the real world..
HAVING to be more responsible and HAVING to pay for the diapers and the formula.. at first she will naturally be mad but she is going to realize that working parttime and when she pays for daycare she isn't going to have anything left to raise her baby.. once the reality sinks in.. it might take awhile and a lot of fights.. she will either step up and be a good mommy.. or she will just want nothing to do with parenthood..

Answer 4

Listen, Im 16, and my best friend had a baby when she was 15 too and the same thing happened to her. Her mom came to me and asked me to talk to her and see what was going on. My friends main problem was that the stress was way too much and she didn't tell her mother that the father of the baby told my friend that teh baby was her choice and that it wsa her fault that she got pregnant. When she first got pregnant, her was totally suppportive and told her that he would be there for her and not to worry because they would go through this thing together... Needless to say that she broke down and I am going to admit that I am very phisical and the next time I saw him I slamed him in the face. Anyway, You should either sit your daughter down and see what is wrong, or go to one of her close friends to find out for you. If those don't work, sit her down again and forcefully and sternly tell her that she is a mother adn that it is not right for her to go off and party when her obligation is to her child. Explain to her that she could have gotten an abortion but that would not have solved anything. And if worse comes to worse tell her about your sacrifices for her. And tell her that you did that because you loved her and her child deserves that same love from her.

Answer 5

Unfortunatly i know in the UK that Grandparents dont have any rights in normal circumstances.
However this is quite an unusual case and with you daughter being a minor herself you may be able to do something.
I know of somebody who actually adopted her grand daughter as her daughter went the same way, but you really need to get legal advice.
Im so sorry for what is happening to you, and really do wish you all luck.

Answer 6

Legally you have no rights to your granddaughter because of US Supreme Court rulings a few years ago. However if you can show that your daughter is an unfit mother due to her drinking all the time the Courts can transfer full custody over to you.

Answer 7

the best thing you can do is get your daughter back on track!!!!
phone social services annonomously with your concerns, keep to the facts and not your opinions, say that you think a shock treatment would benefit her,,, that way when the social worker comes out it will be an annonomous complaint..... if the social worker is straight enough then if your daughter cares for her child it will be enough to shock her into being a mum for her child,,, if she doesnt then by all means just be there for your grandchild,,, but also be there for your child it must be hard for her too but dont take over

Answer 8

that's genuine what others say: with the aid of certainty that she lives in his relatives, she has no rights as a minor. in spite of the incontrovertible fact that, there's a criminal action which you would be able to take and that's request to the courts that your daughter desires a dad or mum adLitem, and in certainty what it is is an lawyer appointed via the courts that represents your daughter's pursuits. The dad or mum adLitem will then habit visits to the domicile and in certainty verify no remember if or no longer the residing circumstances are maximum secure for the youngster. additionally they'll come on your place and habit those comparable form of determinations. A dad or mum adLitem will think approximately all your daughter's needs and desires and could paintings on behalf of your daughter with you/your lawyer and additionally you ex-husband's lawyer. He/she will report a rfile with the choose that helps with the choose's determination of no remember if your new child could get carry of to you with sole custody, carry on with the daddy or no remember in case you 2 will proceed with shared custody (if that's what you certainly have). additionally, the youngster, if she is 12 years-previous or older, can request to communicate with the choose the two in inner maximum (without you, her father or step-mom modern-day) to tell the choose what she needs or could have option to do this, yet interior the popular public talk board and putting of a proper court listening to. those are, of path, the regulations of Georgia and not genuine each the place so that's particularly helpful to look for criminal guidance to verify which regulations govern dad or mum adLitems on your state and what rights you and your daughter and the opposing occasion (your ex-husband & the setp-mom) have. additionally, it may be delivered earlier the courts that the strikes that her step-mothers and fathers have carried out have led to your daughter to stay in a state of misery and duress wherein she does not have faith the judgement of her custodial verify. even nonetheless, you would be able to desire to tension to her that regardless of if she got here to stay with you, at an analogous time as you will by no potential be as severe as those 2 nutjobs are, you will no longer tolerate backsliding. What her father and step-mom attempt to do is tutor, by using conversations along with your daughter, which you're by some potential an undeserving mom so...do censor your conversations along with your daughter. do no longer in any way, shape or type downtalk the lady's father or step-mom as which would be seen negatively influencing the youngster and dealing against you.

Answer 9

go talk to the courts and get custody of your granddaughter..it may be a lot better this way.
in most states you can go talk to an attorney FREE the first time to ask questions..and see if you like the attorney..so maybe you may have to see two or three attorneys with different questions ...for FREE...before you know what you want to do..and if it was me..I would get FULL custody of your granddaughter..and maybe adopt her too..
and then you can decide with the courts what to do about your daughter..if she is going to stay at home or maybe go to a group home WITHOUT THE BABY ( but she can not continue doing what she is doing and stay there..she needs to walk the straight line..now! ) ..you keep the baby..but do it legally..PLEASE....
and do it fast...like MONDAY..make a lot of telephone calls..
please...you DO NOT NEED YOUR daughters permission to look into this and to get all of this started..and if may be even better if you do not tell her anything about your plans to take her daughter....and maybe the courts can observe the ways she is acting....
good luck
and
God Bless

Answer 10

Legally you are responsible for your adaughter and her daughter as she is still a minor. To discipline her at this time is too late. You are her mother ofcourse and it is usually painful to whatch our children go through things and feel helpless. You need to reassure her that you are there to help and not to judge. Extra effort of care and understanding will bring her around. Just make sure that the baby is given the care needed and not do anything that jeopordize them both. Doing anything harsh might turn her against you and may resent you for it later. If you are religious prayer always works. Put it in the hands of God.