Roughly half of all Illinois marriages end in divorce. The number of women going the nontraditional route of children first, marriage later (and often to partners who are not their child’s parent) is also rising, particularly among women who have children in their 20s. These two facts combined result in a society in which blended families have become commonplace. And contrary to the myth of the cold, selfish and jealous stepparent, many play a pivotal role in raising their partner’s children, and grow to have loving, caring relationships with their stepchildren.

But this relationship may be severed completely if the death or disability of the child’s parent results in custody being given to the non-custodial parent or grandparents, who may hold ill-will toward the stepparent. In these situations, Illinois law grants a stepparent the right to petition the Court for visitation.

Establishing Stepparent Visitation in Illinois

Many of us know doting grandparents. They often brag about their grandchildren’s every accomplishment and share an endless stream of photos on Facebook (the digital equivalent of photo-stuffed wallets). And grandparents undeniably have a lot to offer their grandchildren, such as a link to the past, unconditional love and valuable advice on the future.

But what if the grandchildren’s parents refuse to allow the grandparents visitation rights? Do the grandparents have the right to visitation? The answer is yes, under specific circumstances.

Illinois Law on Grandparent Visitation