Gransnet forums

Grandparenting

Missing grandaughter so much

(445 Posts)
Yvonne57 Sat 11-Feb-23 12:04:25

Hi, I have been having my grandaughter stay weekends since she was born 5 years ago (apart from the lockdown) my son Luna’s dad comes to my house to stay the weekends she stays. It’s not possible for my son to have Luna stay at his bedsit.
We all have a special bond and Luna so looks forward to coming to stay. I go and pick her up, she is always so happy to see me.
Two weeks ago my son had missed a child maintenance payment so Luna’s mom stopped her coming to see us. Very upsetting. Two weeks later, my son paid Luna’s mom £50 on Wednesday. We couldn’t wait until this weekend came. Luna’s mom has stopped her coming here again as she wants another £100. My son hasn’t got that much money he is at the moment out of work.
We are distraught and dread to think how poor Luna is feeling. I need help on this 😢😢

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 14:26:22

One that will harm the child if it is repeated by the OP to the son and by the son to the mother or anywhere the child can hear

I'm not saying OP would just to clarify... OP sounds like a good grandma

But if they did you would be responsible

I don't understand how people don't get this, this is literally how humans communicate and learn language from each other

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 14:27:07

Equally if you wouldn't say to a child "you don't get to see daddy if he doesn't pay the money on time", then don't do the action. Good point Rosie.

Delila Wed 15-Feb-23 14:30:37

Norah, nothing about the OP’s request for help suggests to me that she’s pushy, over-involved or entitled. Let’s not embark on another session of finger-pointing based on nothing but our own prejudice.

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 14:30:58

I feel so awful for children when so many adults think it's acceptable to behave like this

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 14:31:15

But if they did you would be responsible!!!! No I wouldn't VS. I am not responsible for what anyone else says or does anymore than you are.

What a strange thing to suggest.

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 14:32:45

I feel sorry for the children too VS as they are the ones with no voice who are always caught in the middle.

Norah Wed 15-Feb-23 14:32:51

VioletSky

Maybe a good way to look at it is this:

If you wouldn't say it to the child, don't say it.

If you wouldn't tell this child that their mother is "cruel" or "a bad mother" or "using her as a weapon" then don't say that to the adults involved where it might get back to the child due to being wound up to anger.

Children overhear many conversations that the parents try to hide.

If someone would say that to a child about their mother, they need lots and lots of therapy

Nobody has said that any of this should be repeated to son or GD. At any rate neither OP nor son appear to be here

Look to it this way VS, everyone is expressing their opinions, none of us know the truth to the matter, nor are depositions taken.

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 14:38:18

Opinions about people they don't know at all

That must be an interesting way to live... alienating others before even giving them a chance

I hope this little girl never hears what total strangers think of her mother

Sad when we could all use constructive language rather than insults

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 14:43:37

Why should she hear what total strangers think of her mother? It'll be a lot of years before she's on GN if it's still going of course.

Oh and least she'll also be spared from hearing what total strangers think of her father too.

Norah Wed 15-Feb-23 14:49:13

I didn't say she OP is pushy, over-involved or entitled.

I said It seems plausible, to me, OP is too involved. I'm likely basing that on my own feelings about pushy entitled grans who want what they want for no known reason - too much of that happens to the detriment of young mums.

I stand by that. Pushy entitled GPs have no place in these type of situations, needing instead to stand at a far distance and allow parents to raise their own children without GP distraction.

Young mums are often vilified for no reason, on GN, by paternal GPs.

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 14:51:41

Interesting perspective really

You don't think others are influenced by others words at all in what they repeat themselves?

I guess that's a good way of absolving responsibility for one's own words and cathartically releasing ones own feelings against a situation that has nothing to do with us

I just don't think that way

Delila Wed 15-Feb-23 15:07:28

If you don’t think that applies here, in this particular context, Norah, why say it?

Callistemon21 Wed 15-Feb-23 15:18:36

This is turning from a request for advice from a Grandmother who is worrying how her granddaughter is feeling, not seeing her father and Granny, into a work of fiction.

Norah Wed 15-Feb-23 15:19:02

Delila

If you don’t think that applies here, in this particular context, Norah, why say it?

We all have opinions. Last I knew we could all express such.

I very much do believe what I noted does apply here, but that's my uninformed opinion. I think it's worthy of noting. May well make others think twice before they poke in where they don't belong?

Good thread for knowledge.

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 15:20:06

Our decisions are influenced on a daily basis by friends, family, peer groups, what we see, read and hear. The films we watch and for those that play them, the video games they play.

We are all on this thread apart from the OP, expressing our opinions about a situation that has nothing to do with any of us because the OP said "I need help on this".

My opinions are based on my own feelings and sometimes my own experiences, just as yours are. I have no need to absolve myself of responsibility for what I have posted here. I stand by it and wouldn't suggest you are, or should absolve yourself of any responsibility for the opinions you've expressed, just because I disagree with you.

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 15:23:21

I don't have any personal experience in this one but I don't think it would change anything about how I would communicate

Maybe that's my training and knowing how that impacts children

Rosie51 Wed 15-Feb-23 15:26:28

VS Are you saying you'd be perfectly happy for this 5 year old child to have every observation or hypothesis you've made about her father reported to her? These for example

Your son needs to get a job and support his child properly.

It's not right for him to take no responsibility for his daughters needs.

Tells the child what? That her father doesn't take his responsibility to her seriously. Nice.

Callistemon21 Wed 15-Feb-23 15:33:29

Your son needs to get a job and support his child properly.
There is no indication that he didn't have a job and hasn't paid child support regularly until recently.

It's not right for him to take no responsibility for his daughters needs.
There is no indication that he didn't have a job and hasn't paid child support regularly until recently.

So much supposition, imagination and misandry on this thread.

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 15:35:22

You don't need training to know how children can be and are impacted, common sense serves well enough for most of us thankfully.

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 15:35:23

Rosie51

VS Are you saying you'd be perfectly happy for this 5 year old child to have every observation or hypothesis you've made about her father reported to her? These for example

Your son needs to get a job and support his child properly.

It's not right for him to take no responsibility for his daughters needs.

Tells the child what? That her father doesn't take his responsibility to her seriously. Nice.

This is not an insult Rosie

There is a difference between insults based on no knowledge and objective advice

Germanshepherdsmum Wed 15-Feb-23 15:40:03

This thread now bears no similarity to the opening post. It’s turned into a flight of fantasy. No wonder OP is nowhere to be seen.

Iam64 Wed 15-Feb-23 16:23:00

VioletSky

I don't have any personal experience in this one but I don't think it would change anything about how I would communicate

Maybe that's my training and knowing how that impacts children

Goodness me. The fount of all knowledge.
As another poster commented earlier, a number of people who contributed on this thread have extensive professional and personal knowledge of the most constructive way to support separated parents in contact and residence arrangements

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 16:38:35

People are arguing against my views

Which is fine

But people are also stating that I'm in some way taking sides here or personally invested

I'm not so I'm saying so.

Maybe take it up with those who try to find reasons to make me feel unwelcome in a conversation, accuse me of things I'm not doing or saying and otherwise are confrontational Iam

Instead of focusing on me for simply defending myself defending this child

VioletSky Wed 15-Feb-23 16:39:37

I'm still here aren't I?

I'm not going to change on your say so lol

Smileless2012 Wed 15-Feb-23 16:47:41

I don't think anyone's suggested that you are taking sides, personally invested, trying to make you feel unwelcome VS or being confrontational. We're simply disagreeing that's all, so those are claims any of us could make.