Can People other than the Parents have Parenting Time?

Yes.  People other than parents may be granted parenting time, depending on the circumstances.

Oftentimes we see a grandparent request parenting time with a grandchild.  Usually, the courts will expect that a grandparent will exercise parenting time on the parent’s parenting time, and not have court ordered time of their own.  This may not be possible if the parent is deceased or has limited or nonexistent parenting time with the child.  Additionally, there are some instances where the child has lived with the grandparent or another third party acting in a parental, caregiving role, and the child may have formed attachments to that third party.

The court recognizes that the parent/child relationship is very important and the court will weigh whether ordering parenting time with the grandparent or third party is in the best interest of the child, and whether the visitation rights would interfere with the parent-child relationship between the custodial parent and the child.  The court will consider the previous relationship the child shared with the third party and the emotional ties between the child and the third party when making the decision to award visitation rights.  For more information, see Minn. Stat. 257C.08.