Tag: Timesharing Arrangements

Anyone who has gone through (or is currently going through) divorce and has children knows that one of the primary concerns is the well-being of their children and how they will get through it. Change can be especially harsh on children, especially during stages when routines are so important to their development. According to the experts, what type of response the child has can depend upon whether they are in childhood or adolescence; where divorce can sometimes increase a child’s dependence and regression, while increasing an adolescent’s independence and aggression.

That being said, there are actions you can take to help provide the support that children need during times of divorce, such as:

Communication

Encourage your children to be honest with you and articulate what they are feeling. Be a good listener and ask questions.

In addition, maintaining a good relationship with your ex and avoiding conflict can help avoid the stress that children sometimes internalize when they are exposed to that conflict, or when they feel pressured to pass messages back and forth. Children can also internalize hurt when they feel like they need to take sides and “pick” a parent’s side during times of conflict.

Unfortunately, sometimes when there is divorce and/or death within a family, there are also visitation-related disputes. While the courts will always be most concerned with what is in the best interests of the child, it is also important to note that grandparents do have certain visitation rights under some circumstances.

The Law in Florida

When it is in the best interests of the child, the court will award reasonable rights of visitation to a grandparent if:

In determining a child’s best interests, the court considers the following factors:

Petitioning the Court

If a grandparent wishes to obtain court-ordered visitation with the grandchild, they would petition the court for visitation, whereby the court would then hold a preliminary hearing to determine if the petitioner/grandparent has made a prima facie showing of parental unfitness or significant harm to the child.

If the court finds that there is evidence of significant harm to the child, it may appoint a guardian ad litem and refer the matter to family mediation. The court can also proceed with a final hearing if family mediation does not resolve the issue.