Petition: Give legal right of contact between grandchildren and grandparents

We no longer have control over what teenagers are exposed too... Even should we ban devices, they still talk

We can't shield them from reality

The impact of the pandemic on every generation is beginning to be evaluated. Some school year groups appear to have been particularly badly affected.
Part of being a parent is protecting as well as helping children understand the world ariubd them. Dramatising global warming, saying the planet is dying doesn’t sit with good enough parenting
We may wish it wasn’t so but divorce, separation, domestic conflict, broken or damaged attachments as a result of these things are damaging to children’s well being

No more than the fear of living through an actual war (WW1 &2) or growing up with the threat of nuclear annihilation ever present. pick your generation, pick your existential global threat to all life.

The impact of the pandem

Maybe dealing with a pandemic as a child, or a cost of living crisis, or global climate change and being told the very planet we live on is dying is having an impact?

Family breakdown is a major cause of mental health problems in children.

The children of married parents and parents in long term secure relationships do better in every aspect of life.

My DGD has commented on the effect a divorce has had on the mental health of one of her friends. She is an only child and neither parent has a pattern of stable relationships since the divorce.

maddyone

Agreed Monica.
And in such cases, a healthy and supportive relationship with grandparents becomes even more important for the children.

Sorry maddyone I read the above post when quoted by someone else and linked the two. Now I have gone back to your original reply, I can see that that is not what you said.

My apologies.

Yes Smileless, that’s right (your post 16.59.)

Where did I say a court order was needed to ensure happy and supportive relationships between grandparent and grandchild?

Which post Monica?

As the law stands, a court order wouldn't be issued to establish a productive relationship, but to sustain one that already exists. The relationship has to have already been established and be regarded by the court as a beneficial and important one to the child.

It is the impression you gave in your post. That was all I had to go on.

I think most agreed that a petition to change the law wasn’t needed.

In extreme cases, legal action might be appropriate, but that needs doing, case by case.

I know that Monica. Did you think I didn’t?

maddyone happy supportive relationships between grandparent and grandchild cannot be imposed by court order and if a court order is needed it is unlikely such a productive relationship will ever be established.

Smileless2012

Isn't that terrible DL five in a class of 30 .

Yes, it’s very sad. Such a shame that adults and kids should be happier than ever, as most people have more now, than ever before, there are more support systems and advice than ever before, and yet, more and more, they’re unhappy and discontented.😗

Isn't that terrible DL five in a class of 30 .

Plenty of stats, by experts, support that view:

In the last three years, the likelihood of young people having a mental health problem has increased by 50%.

‘Our Good Childhood Report 2022 shows that children's happiness continues to decline. Now, five children in a classroom of 30 are likely to have a mental health problem.”

www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/well-being/mental-health-statistics

I thought that due to a lot of academic research into this, and also reports from NHS services, it was pretty uncontroversial to state that children and young people currently report (or exhibit) significant mental health issues as a cohort.

The causes are definitely multifactorial, but the kids aren't alright.

It's interesting that some don't believe there is an increase in the incidence of mental health issues in children, when there's so much to support that not being the case.

Having no contact with that generation I can only go by what I see being reported, and there's been an advert on tv for a mobile 'phone provider, providing help and information to help keep children safe when using them.

It must be a nightmare for parents nowadays.

My DD works in a senior school and says it is nationally recognised that there are problems with current year 9s. They are the 14 year olds who missed their final primary school year because of COVID and had to choose a senior school without being able to visit any

maddyone

Agreed Monica.
And in such cases, a healthy and supportive relationship with grandparents becomes even more important for the children.

Yes, my ACs and GCs have lucky - they had adults around, happy to listen, and give support. Grandparents, in healthy family relationships, help with that.🙂

Iam64

VioletSky

In what ways do you think current parenting is making mental health worse in children?

Personally I would say it is the impact of real world issues, not how they are parented...

There is an increase in mh problems in adults and children. When I started work with families in the late seventies, substance misuse or dependence were rare, by 2012 they were in most families involved with support services. Drug/alcohol dependence leaves parents unable to consistently meet their children’s needs.
Real world issues were definitely there for previous generations. Poverty, wars, unemployment and other stresses. Parenting and family life plus school are key factors in children’s mental psychological and emotional health
- more influential than real world issues

That was my working experience as well.

Plus, from talking to my own GCs, there’s also the modern problems of online bullying, grooming, aspiring to be like these Instagram influencers, dangerous sites, and increasing levels of violence, especially amongst teenagers. Plus the increasing availability of almost sorts of drugs.

Schools say they are finding if increasingly difficult to cope, especially after the disruption of lockdown.

I remember a lot of world issues, but I don’t think they had that much influence on children, post-war. I don’t think they do now, unless it’s anything that affects this country directly. The cost of living, and the strains that bought has had a trickle down effect from parents though.

A stable family, stability at home, lack of drugs/alcohol abuse and awareness of being a good role model helps avoid a lot of this.🙂

Agreed Monica.
And in such cases, a healthy and supportive relationship with grandparents becomes even more important for the children.

The victims of increased divorce and multiple short term relationships between adults are the children of these short term coupls and this directly affects the mental health of children.