For those of you who are raising their grandchild or grandchildren, be sure to protect your rights as a grandparent. Please make sure that you hire an attorney and go to court and get guardianship of the child(ren).  Make sure, if the parent(s) want to see the child that visitation is stipulated as to how it is to be done, file for child support, and go to the welfare department in your county and apply for TANF.  It is the old AFDC.  

We are raising our 5 year old grandson.  While we were not planning on doing any more child raising, God apparently had other plans for us.  I would not change the time we have had him for all the gold in the world.  He is a blessing and a joy.

We have filed and received an order for child support from both parents but right now neither of them are working so nothing is coming into us so we went to our local welfare office and applied for TANF so our grandson gets some money from the state each month to help pay for his clothes and whatever else he needs.

Some of the reasons for getting legal guardianship are being legally allowed to sign school papers, get medical services, apply for TANF, get extra if you apply for energy assistance programs, and claim the child(ren) on your taxes at the end of the year.  Being legal guardians means simply that you are legally allowed to sign papers for the minor child(ren)  You also need it to file for child support.

So please see an attorney and get legal guardianship.  Otherwise your hands will be tied legally

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