Grandparents need visitation rights

To the editor:Though it is undoubtedly true that the rights of parents in a grandparents-visitation dispute are important, it is also true that they are not the only people whose rights and desires should be considered.

Most states have some version of a statute that gives grandparents the right to seek visitation with their grandchildren. This right should not be overlooked. There are many reasons parents and grandparents find themselves unable to agree on visitation. Too often, the forgotten people in the equation are the grandchildren themselves. When an otherwise fit parent denies children access to their fit grandparents, the children are denied the many benefits that come from that relationship.

Grandparents are an important sources of love and support for grandchildren, and they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to bear. Given the choice, most children would rather have an ongoing relationship with their grandparents, and parents should not be able to unilaterally prevent this relationship without good reasons for doing so.

It is important for children and grandparents to have a forum in which their voices can be heard. Judges must be allowed to consider the best interests of the child so those interests and the grandparents' rights can be balanced against the parents' right to make decisions for the child. Having the parents decision be absolute and final without any real opportunity for review does a disservice to children and grandparents and takes away their ability to seek relief from an arbitrary denial of visitation.

DARREL ADAMS, Fruitland