California can be somewhat restrictive when it comes to awarding grandparents the right to visitations with their grandchildren -- parents have a lot of control over the issue and the court examines the relationship carefully to see if visitation is really in the best interests of the children involved.
Consequently, the last thing that you want to do, if you're a grandparent who is fighting for that right to gain unsupervised visitation with your grandchildren is put them -- and your case -- in jeopardy due to outmoded parenting methods.
A recent study found that grandparents tend to approach parenting tasks with their grandchildren the same way they approached them years ago -- even though many of those methods are outdated and even dangerous.
When surveyed, many grandparents admit that they essentially haven't kept up with the changes in childcare safety, relying instead on the conventional parenting wisdom of their own generation.
As a result, they still often do things like put sleeping infants on their sides and leaving loose blankets and stuffed animals in cribs, even though both can increase the chances of a child suffocating or falling victim to crib death.
The majority of grandparents surveyed also didn't know important first aid information, like the fact that wounds need to be covered instead of left exposed to air (and potential staph infections). More than 40 percent also still believed ice baths should be used to treat a high fever, a method that can actually induce hypothermia.
If you're a grandparent hoping to be awarded visitation with a grandchild, how can you be certain to keep up with the changes in parenting methods? The best advice that experts can offer is usually available online -- but make sure that you go to a reputable site, like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). That site offers tips on childcare safety and parenting information that's approved by the nation's top pediatricians.
For more information on what you can do to help your petition for visitation succeed, contact an attorney today.