If you haven’t got grandchildren, what attracts you to gransnet?

BlueSky

BlueBelle
“I think the name and logo need a big overhaul, and with a change everyone in an older age group would feel welcome without having to explain themselves.”
Agree BlueBelle.
I can see the point of that. It has been mentioned that there are very few ‘granddad’ contributors, that lots of posters aren’t actually grandparents, but still enjoy the site.
What name and logo do you suggest ?

BlueBelle
“I think the name and logo need a big overhaul, and with a change everyone in an older age group would feel welcome without having to explain themselves.”
Agree BlueBelle.

When I see the term "gransnet" I immediately think of my own grandmother who seemed to be permanently crocheting by gas light. She would never have electricity installed in her house.

Crocheting, sewing or embroidering - thats how I will always remember her. Never with idle hands. But these things did not occupy her mind. She enjoyed a good conversation and was an excellent listener.

She was my mentor and my refuge and meant far more to me than my own parents.

I also appreciate the camaraderie on here and the range of views.
I have joined my local U3A and that has far more women than men too so maybe men are not such "joiners" . generalisation sorry
I was never on Mumsnet.
I have been to several GN meetups and met some lovely people. Win win situation.

I've been trying to remember how I found GN, and struggling.

I think I might have stumbled upon a competition, and followed links to forums, but now that I've read Joane123's post I wonder if I was also looking at retirement ideas - I think I found it when I was considering leaving work.

I have a wide range of friends, but they tend to be in one 'group' or another (eg colleagues, or neighbours, or members of interest groups, or 'old friends') and not to know one another. Whereas I hear lots of different opinions, their holders don't all join in the same conversation at the same time, and that's what I like about discussion boards, as well as the chance to 'meet' people from different locations. I post on a few different ones, and have made 'imaginary friends' on all of them.

I joined in well before lockdown, but when that hit I was stuck more firmly indoors than most. I had no exercise walks or trips to the shops, so it was good to have two-way conversation instead of just listening to TV or radio. Mr Dog was probably glad of the peace, too .

I can't remember all the threads I've enjoyed, but the one where people talked about meeting boyfriends/partners' families for the first time was hilarious - I still laugh at the thought of someone's MIL to be coming downstairs in her underwear and squirting toothpaste on the head of her husband, and other posts on that thread had me in stitches.

Boredom

I was looking at forums to help with menopause symptoms, and found this the best one.

Symptoms are long gone...but I stayed, and found myself drawn to specific topics. I like the emotional, Christian threads. News and politics I would enjoy if they weren’t so hostile.

I have eight grandchildren, but they’re generally not the focus of discussions I’m on.

I found the site when looking for retirement ideas.

I hadn't realised it was for Grandparents

Not sure how I found you all, tbh, but it was during the first lockdown and it may have been looking at Mumsnet and branching out from there. Never dreamed for a minute that I would find my niche there with all those bright young things but love the camaraderie and support that this site brings.

I did wander off to look at (2) other forums but soon scuttled back. They seemed to be so, well, large and keeping up with the postings was a mammoth task, and the layout seemed totally alien compared to here. At least on Gransnet, I get the 'warm glow' of being with people I recognise, of their backgrounds, trials and tribulations, their shared issues, their joy and pain.
It all just seems so very, well, personal - IYSWIM.

And my golly, the stuff I have learned???

Maybe there aren’t many sites specifically for older women, and especially those like GN which cover a wide variety of topics.

I came across the site years ago when I had just become a grandmother for the first time, after fearing my career minded offspring would never produce!

A friend of mine, sadly was never able to have children, yet she follows discussions on here.
Close friends know that she would have loved a family, but when she gets asked the inevitable question by others she always says it was their choice not to have children to avoid the sometimes pitying reaction if she were to tell the truth.

I expect there are some in that situation on here.

When my children were small, one of the things I really detested was when people referred to me as ...'someone's Mum', Like giving birth somehow stopped me being a person in my own right.

Okay, some of those children have grown up and now have their own children. So, yes, I am a grandparent. However, I am also very much a person in my right still.

I agree with Bluebelle. Perhaps the time has come to change both the name and the logo. I have a friend, with three AC, and no g.children, who was really worried when i persuaded her to accompany me to a GN meet-up. She thought sh would not be welcomed. Of course, she was and still attends their meeting, even though I cannot as I have m oved too far away.

I find that I have little in common with some of the (to me) very young g.parents on here. My own AC (all in their late-forties/early fifties), could easily (by age) be g.parents. As a family we tend to have our children in our thirties, and not teenage years.

Would be good to have a name which would encourage more males to join in.

I joined about 7-8 years ago I think. I am still not a grandparent but live in hope!! I enjoy the wide ranging subjects that are discussed and the friendship

I think it's possible that some came on to GN when it was launched as an offshoot of MN, I was on that site before, not so much for parenting more for reviews particularly books. GN was more pertinent to my age demographic and by then I was a new grandparent, although that is not a defining factor in coming on GN. As with talking about children most don't want to have interminable conversations about second generation offspring either, although inevitably there are threads about such subject matters. The name does admittedly sound a bit exclusionary given that a whole gamut of subjects are up for discussion and of course there are things, such as medical conditions for example that pertain to certain age groups and this is a good site for advice on those. There has, if I remember rightly, been the occasional poster who on seeing the name GN mistakenly assumes having grandchildren is a pre requisite to post on here, not at all the case.

When I first came across Gransnet, I thought it was merely for people of a certain age. I'd been here a while when there was some quite strong comment about those of us who don't have grandchildren or children or husbands, which I was a little taken aback by, as a contented, childless spinster.

I still linger here, in large part for the political comment, which often takes me out of my comfort zone. I rarely contribute to those discussions because although my opinion is usually well-considered, it is definitely not as well-informed as others', and I don't cope well with swingeing rebuttals.

I comment on crochet. ?

I don’t like the name to be honest I think it’s sounds very old fashioned whenever I think of Gransnet I see an old lady in a shawl with a bun in the nape of her neck and I think it stops men from joining as it implies a granny site yes I know gran can stand for either but it’s normally connected with a lady
The logo shows women only and a presumed grandmother
I think the name and logo need a big overhaul, and with a change everyone in an older age group would feel welcome without having to explain themselves

I found GN by chance when I googled about a problem I was having with DD. It was so helpful, intelligent and interesting, I joined up. I have since mainly stuck to one thread for friendship and support. The political threads get angry very quickly and I am not looking for a fight.
I sometimes read but don't join in.
I am a gran to 7 but I have no reason to talk about them on here.
Why are there so few men?

I no longer really consider this to be for grandparents as such and in fact I like that there are members who are not grandparents or even parents, there are those who are married divorced single widowed straight gay politically left right or centre British Aussie Canadian green fingered sporty intellectual domestic goddesses pedants cat lovers fashionistas ………

No GC here but I do enjoy the various subjects and I am always more than happy to help others using the knowledge from my ex-professional life.

I have also met a few in RL and some of us have been meeting monthly for several years.

I also email a couple of GNs who live many miles away from me and there is no chance of ever having a meet-up.

On the whole people are friendly and polite.

No children or grandchildren here. I enjoy the company of such a varied group of people all with different views and life experience. The political threads are challenging, educating and make my brain work.

I love how people are so friendly and often very, very funny.

I joined gransnet when our twin grandchildren were born. Maddyone my daughter has just recently had a similar severe illness as your daughter. I was so stressed it made me ill to be honest gransnet has been invaluable too me. Smileless I have read your posts about estrangement my heart goes out to you.
I think this is like having a friend especially for the lonely.

Its possible I could have grandchildren by now but I don't yet, happy to wait a bit longer

I came across a thread while googling something and decided to stay as it was the only place I'd seen with estrangement as a topic where both sides were welcome and I thought that seemed a better idea than just being in an echo chamber and would give me a more balanced conversation... Lol

Anyway it's a forum that doesn't move too fast in general.... although some threads do move too fast for me and I find it very difficult to keep up and I small enough membership that you can get to recognise and remember other member names andget to know a bit about them

Because GN members are all super friendly people, who have many wise words to impart to anyone who chooses to log in?

I do have GCs but most of the threads I read and post on have nothing to do with them so I can see why those without GCs get involved.
I love my ACs and GCs very much but I do have other interests.

GillT57

Agree. Having a good mix of people makes the site more interesting.