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Time spent with grandparents is noted to be of great value to a child's overall growth experience.
However, in many states, the rights of grandparents have been broadened to allow for visitation rights in the case of divorce. In some cases, the distances involved do not allow for easy access to such visitation. In cases where the family relationship is still intact, i.e., the parents are not divorced, there are a different set of standards altogether that will be applied by the court. This would relate to cases where one parent has died and the other does not wish to allow visitation, or both parents, still living, object to the visitation. In these circumstances, the grandparents must go through a two-step process.