I'm not very familiar with this process. Do YOU feel that your daughter is ready to have children back? Do they want to go back? In my case my answer to both questions was NO so we hired an attorney. In any case, the court should appoint a Guardian Ad Litem (attorney) for your grandchildren to represent their best interests.

I am a guardian ad litem in Ohio. If you have legal custody and the mom wants her child back, mom must prove it would be better for the child to live with her due to inability of the custodial parent to properly care for the child or the custodial parent request custody be returned to the mom.

I want her to be ready. Maybe I want it too much and Im ignoring some facts. The part that is the real issue to me is the kids want to live with their mom and step dad. He even talks about adopting them both.

Kids are under 2 separate custody orders, she signed over gd in 2013 when gd and mom was homeless, so all I have to do there is agree.

GS was given to me by dss when ddmom was 17. Dad had hurt him supposedly for crying. Although Ive raised him for last 8 years, he says he wants to live with mom.

Of course I have mixed feelings. SOO many.

Hurt and resentful- because I feel like im the mom, and they don't really even appreciate the last 9 years contribution and sacrifice.

Hopeful- because maybe I can be a grandmother, like I am to other grandkids.My grands want this so much, they miss her when shes not here.

Fearful- this may really not work out, and the kids will need to come back. I'm sure my gs, whom has only had me and pawpaw for parents, and says we are his parents, , he will miss us. I admit I both hope he comes back, and I hope he reunifies and has a regular 2 parent, 3 kid household.

I pray for God to bring about what is best for these kids. Not for me, not for DDmom, but for these children.

And then there's DSS. I hate them. I fear them. Took me a year to get gs out of foster care. I have a nice house, keeping it clean with kids you know isn't easy, but I hate clutter and I fight the kitchen constantly. Just a lot of old DSS memories making me paranoid.

Are they going to do a home study on me? Do I have to deal with GAL again?

You won't need a home study or GAL unless there is a reason the children shouldn't be with you. I understand your concerns, hopes and fears. They are feelings we have all had. I know of a case where a grandparent gave up custody and had to spend a lot of time, money and frustration trying to get kids back when mom couldn't care for them because she gave them up and it's very hard to prove you really want them after you gave them up
I am not sure of your grandkids age, but are the old enough to make such a big decision about where they should live?

How much time do the kids spend with their mom and stepdad now and how far away do they live? Would it be an option to keep custody but give them more liberal time at their mom's house?

Dealing with this too. I have had my 2 for 10 years. Seems too little too late but she wants to try to be a mom and make it work. And I would love to just be a grandma again. I have Guardianship so she has to go ask court to dissolve guardianship.. So many what if's. But I have learned one thing, nothing is forever, things change, they are going for a 3 week visit with mom this summer so we shall see what happens.