Why are younger people on Gransnet now?

Like Loulelady I’m not a gran but am over 50 (which is what GN is advertised as) and feel there’s more for me on here. MN was great when I first joined but it’s become increasingly bitchy (shockingly so in many cases) and as my older 2 children are now adults I’m not interested in all of the posts on there about raising younger children.

There should really be a SqueezedMiddleNet for us middle aged people.

I think if I was a young Mum I would prefer Gransnet too! Maybe it is a generation thing, but I just find some members of Mumsnet so hostile. The language is also very ripe. On the whole, I find Gransneters more polite, (bar one or two members) which suits me better, as I can't bear confrontation!

I do t understand why gransnet should be seen as exclusively for older people. Why wouldn’t we want contributions from younger women ?
Mumsnet is a great site. There are some very well informed posters. As for not being interested in dis ussiobs on young children (as someone posted earlier) many gransneters have young grandchildren. Lots of us are involved in grannie day care. How can discussions on food, play, development etc not be interesting to us.

SqueezedMiddleNet

I remember those days!
Or 'StretchedLikeaPieceofElasticNet'!

I was a very young grandma and worked full time. No objection to anyone being here, just wondered. I have never looked at Mumsnet and it sounds so negative and full of bad language, I wouldn't want to be on it either.

Maybe the younger generation have seen the benefits from associating with wise old birds ????

I look at both. MN has far more subscribers, I think, so threads seem to move much more quickly. If you go onto AIBU, you will find some quite aggressive and unpleasant posters, but a lot of the topics, such as Property, Chat, Style & Beauty etc are very informative. You can set filters, I believe, to screen out topics you are not interested in, such as parking threads - there are a lot of those, for some reason. A lot of people on MN do not have children but join for the other topics.

I think it's great that there are more younger people joining GN, whether they are grandparents or not. It's good to have a cross-section of views and liven up the site a bit. Welcome everybody, young, old, or in the middle!

Iam64 - if your post was in response to my earlier one about not being interested in posts about younger child development, I’m sure MN is of interest to people who have DGC for that reason. I don’t have grandchildren, which is why it’s of no interest to me and I suspect there are others on here who feel the same

I think there are a variety of people on Gransnet, there are grannies and grandads, mums both young and old, all seeking advice about their problems or just airing their views on this or that. The majority seen to be grandparents but some have no children. The estrangement thread is for anyone who is estranged and seeking support. I'm not sure about the estrangers, they may not feel so welcome, but most acknowledge that occasionally there are good reasons to estrange.

I would rather learn from perspectives of people of all ages and backgrounds than stay in a bubble of 'people like me'
Doodledog: Is this old (Grandad) codger "like you!? "
. We pick up all sorts of interesting perspectives along life's journey and "there is no conversation more boring than the one where everybody agrees" especially those in bubbles or cliques!
My current perspective is focussed on my need to get "dinner for one"; reminds me of a very funny Freddie Frinton TV sketch shown traditionally here every New Year's Eve.
You've got to laugh!
Cheers

Whilst it is, obviously, fine to welcome posters who are not grans if that's what the owners want, shouldn't the name be changed? Doesn't that make it just a general purpose, "any old talk forum"?

Probably - although it is advertised as the social networking site for grandparents AND the over fifties. Remember that the chat forum is only one part of Gransnet, and topics discussed aren’t limited to grandchildren (which kind of defines the grans bit)

Peonyrose
Your mindset should not be one that wants to make the valuable resource at a human connection level of Gransnet into an exclusive club for "golden oldies."

You say why and l say WHY NOT.

There is enough of that old exclusionary nonsense to be dealing with in life without you adding to it.

Dawn.

I have never been on mumsnet. I found this forum by chance when googling for something and have stayed here. I had been a DGP for ages. The only thing that bothers me a bit, and it's the very reason I found it, is that it's so public.
I don't feel I can share anything personal although I can give plenty of advice
Why is this on estrangement thread BTW?

Also, why post negative comments about mumsnet if you’ve never visited the site?

I just would prefer this GN to be more older people centred.

Where we all chivvy, and cheer, each other up.

I think it's cheating that it's been allowed to drift off-source (if that is a phrase) just to attract more posters and, therefore, advertisers.

Also, I, for one, cannot find it in myself to proffer a comforting bosom to any wayward daughters/daughters-in-law. However much they regard themselves to be not in the least little bit wayward.

I will always be on the side of their mums/mils's.

I can understand why someone who has estranged family may feel uncomfortable posting on a thread predominantly used by parents who have been estranged, but they are welcomed.

It's sometimes difficult for EP's and GP's too, as not all who post are themselves estranged and at times their accounts are questioned, especially if they once had a close and loving relationship with their estranging AC.

The 'Support for those living with Estrangement' thread has over the years had posters who have estranged family members and like Chewbacca have had a positive experience.

Of course younger people want to come on Gransnet. We’re much older and wiser and have such reasoned arguments and wonderful advice.

I dip into both forums. I am a gran, but also enjoy MN, sweary bits and all.
I genuinely do like gransnet, but Mumsnet is as lot less personal simpley because it is so much bigger. Therefore, i can read threads on MN and think ' what a plonker', but never 'see' them again, whereas on GN, it is much smaller, so names of particular posters stick - whether for good or bad?
@Gonegirl - no need to change name of forum at all? Lots of posters on MN are not mums, or parents. We all know that gransnet is simply aimed at an older demographic - I dare say a fair number here are neither grans, nor over 50.
So what?
I enjoy both forums for different reasons, but the day someone dictates the age, status or sex of those who participate is the day the forum dies.

What is the harm?

Simpley? Simpley?

Guess I am about to be banned anyway ???

I am on Mumsnet as I am a Mum and I care for 13 year old child and also on Gransnet as I have 2 grandchildren. I did not know I could not be on both. Why would that be a problem. If you had your children when you were young you may also have grandchildren when you are still young.

Interestingly, Peonyrose, if someone posted on Mumsnet "Why are old people joining Mumsnet?" that would be seen as ageist.
Similarly, I feel your post is discriminatory.

Mmm. I didn’t know there was a lower age limit for GN. I have 10 grandchildren, but co-workers of my age have teenage children or younger. I kind of assumed that the whole point of GN was to share experiences of grandparenting, not to wallow in old age. Maybe I came to the wrong place...?

I will always be on the side of their mums/mils's.
At least you own your ridiculous bias