How can we improve The Grandparents’ Blog web site?
So far we have used our web site as a means of communicating “stuff” between our wide spread network of family and friends. Through our site, we have made new friends and our little circle has grown wider. From time to time we get heartfelt pleas and requests for advice from other grandparents who share their stories with us. Other than acting as a forum to share our readership’s ideas and experience, it is difficult for us to provide sound, sensible advice to assist those readers. In fact most legal and financial issues are way beyond our capability and best handled by experts.
One of our readers, Petra, has introduced her new blog site “Glorious Grandchildren” which aims to provide advice and information on the subject of grand-parenting and we are pleased to be able to exchange views and ideas between our respective sites.
You can reach Petra’s site at: http://www.gloriousgrandchildren.co.uk/
We hope that we can continue to share everyday experiences with our reader’s for our mutual benefit through our site. However, it is now comforting to know that Petra’s site is there for specific advice and information, complimenting our own efforts.
In that regard, the dilemma posed by Terry in her comment to our article “Keeping in touch with grandchildren” caused us to reflect just how often that poses a problem for grandparents and their families. Over our past 47 years together, we have come across at least ten instances where access to children and grandchildren was seriously hampered by marital breakdown. Perhaps the most extreme case occurred when one of my Florida nephews saw his daughter move off to Alaska with his ex wife. Fortunately he does get to see his daughter once in a while but his grandparents see even less of her. Yet having your grandchildren close at hand, but still not having access to them, must be just as frustrating.
Generally speaking grandparents do not have automatic rights of access to their grandchildren. Seeking access through the courts is expensive to say the least with no guarantee of success. There are moves afoot in the UK to introduce legislation to address this highly sensitive area – read the House of Commons debate on the subject of Grandparents – Rights of Access.
We are pleased to help grandparents everywhere, through our blog, to come to terms with any of the challenges arising from grandparent-hood.
We do intend to continue the site in a lighthearted vein, whilst addressing both serious and non-serious issues.
Lest we forget, it is both the laughter of our children and grandchildren and our sense of humour, that keep “old timer’s disease” at bay!
The Grandparents