Our daughter and her two older children aged 5 and 3 came to join us in Franc four years ago. Daughter left due to an abusive marriage and her ex sent her to live with us and to take the children. He hasn't contacted them for three and half years now.
Our GD is very happy here but she has issues over her dad. Sometimes she won't allow his name to be mentioned or gets upset if someone at school asks about him. Other times she says she still loves him.
Last night she had a nightmare which entailed her dad coming to see her and bringing a Christmas present, when she opened the box there was nothing there and he just walked away. He hasn't sent presents or cards for birthdays or Christmas for over three years now and we said to her that dreams often mirror what we are thinking and maybe it is that she hopes he will send something.
Our daughter is marrying her French fiancé next week and our GD is so excited about it. She says she has a daddy in her mum's partner and she adores him. Our daughter and her partner have a 22 month old son who GD and GS love to bits.
I try to protect all my grandchildren and seeing her in this state is very upsetting. As her father promised to come and see her then let her down she says he is a liar. He refused to come, even after I offered to pay his travel, pay for a hotel for him to stay in and for a hire car so he could take them out - he refused it all. He was just upset that we wouldn't let him stay in our house. He has two children from a previous marriage who are in their late teens now. They live near him but he has had no contact with them since he divorced their mother; disposible families I think.
Lack of public toilets in towns.