A recent report is that a majority of children are being raised by people other than their own parents. A lot of grandparents have the hand in the bringing up of their grandchildren; be it financial support or just emotional support. But now with the increase in the number of teenage marriages and increase in the rate of divorce, grandparents custody is being seen as a better alternative to improper home atmosphere and foster homes.

Grandparents custody is a legally recognized right which is awarded in some unavoidable circumstances such as:

• The death of one or more parents.
• The inability of parents to bring up children due to financial reasons.
• Drug abuse or alcoholism of the parents.
• Physical abuse.
• Mental ill-health of parents.
• Abandonment
• Divorce
• Violent home environment

The award of grandparents custody is not such a simple issue. Even in cases where the parent may be a potential source of bad influence, law tends to give the parents another chance to get some betterment in life. To separate children from parents is a last resort and to be given child custody, grandparents should be able to show that they can have a positive effect on the development of their grandchildren. Thus, being informed of your rights over your grandchildren as a grandparent is important.