My is Denise; I am a grandparent, a vital part of my grandchildren’s lives until suddenly, I wasn't anymore. I devoted countless hours, love and affection to my two beautiful grandchildren who have been abruptly removed from my life for no sound reason. Despite the pain and disbelief, I attempted to take this matter to our local courts, not once but twice. Both attempts ended in defeat as the laws in place fail to acknowledge our situation as one warranting legal standing.

In the United States, grandparents do indeed have rights - however, according to the law there are only three reasons that provide us with legal standing. Unfortunately, these reasons do not encompass the full range of circumstances leading to grandparental alienation - they do not take into account what is best for the emotional and social well-being of our grandchildren.

Grandparents play a crucial role in the upbringing of children, as confirmed by numerous studies clearly evidencing that children's exposure to their grandparents leads to lower chances of divorce and depression in later life (Dr Lucy Blake, Centre for Family Research, University of Cambridge, 2019).

Sadly, my story is not an isolated case. There are countless other children and grandparents suffering from this alienation. It's time to bring about change in our laws to protect our relationships, and our grandchildren’s right to a stable and loving family network beyond their immediate parents.

Urge our lawmakers to revisit and reform family laws so that they provide all grandparents with legal standing when the child's welfare is evidently at stake when denied their grandparent’s involvement.

Please sign this petition and support this crucial call for change.