February 15, 2017
Back in the early 1770s, when Thomas Jefferson sat down to write some thoughts of this new experiment in governance it was an exceedingly heady, dangerous and stressful time. I am afraid that Grandparents rights were not front and center in his mind. As a matter of fact neither were parents rights, they were interjected later as an amendment. Not only that but Parents rights were and are written into the constitution as subject to the judgement of the state. I bring this up to start a conversation, not about the legalities of Grandparents rights and/or parents rights, but rather […]
February 12, 2017
One sure fire way to make sure your Grandparents Rights stay in tact is to meet the family of your Grandchildren right were they are. I realize that sounds like a blinding glimpse of the obvious but it is an oft overlooked area of human relationships. I learned this in, of all places, a management communication seminar years ago. The situation was; you need to grab a moment of one of your coworkers time for a quick question. It would be understandable to just step in there office and ask. However, if they are on the phone or in the […]
February 11, 2017
As complicated as the Grandparents Rights issue can be most of us still have the ability to add tremendous value to those deserved precious minds of our grands. If you are reading this post on this site you are a Caring Grandparent and that qualifies you as a certified positive influence on the lives of your grandchild. All of us look for affirmation of our place in society. Young people are often defined by knowing they matter to more than just their parents. Schools, sports, etc can sometimes unknowingly be cruel and this is where we come in. When I […]
February 10, 2017
If you have more than one child with children of there own you are probably struck by how different the Grandparenting experience is from one extended family to the others. No matter what your relationship is with your own children you have now added a spouse to each of your own kids. That spouse brings a totally different set of life and familial experiences to your family. When Grandkids are added to the mix ……….You can see where this gets more complicated. I won’t even venture into blended families in this post. I will save that for future discussion. I […]
February 7, 2017
As Grandparents we have earned the right to think it is all about us. We also have the right to think it is all about our grandkids. The truth is, when it comes to Grandparents Rights it IS all about the parents. I have to remind you that I am only the messenger. I also hate to inform you but this has less to do with fairness, which is in the eyes of the beholder, and all about what is SMART. I will warn you that, when it comes to Grandparents rights, smart is often really, really hard. Since the […]
February 4, 2017
The birth of each grandchild, aside from being a undisputed miracle, starts a magic transformation in a Caring Grandparent. According to Lesley Stahl’s new book “BECOMING GRANDMA” there is an actual chemical change that aids this bonding process. I don’t know about you all but I have been hopelessly smitten with each and all of my Grands and Great Grands with or without any chemical change. I am in awe of every one of them. At the same time I am acutely aware of the ripe opportunity I have in this unique relationship between Grandparent and Grandchild. I hold the […]
February 3, 2017
Donec sed augue ut tortor faucibus amet. In fermentum nulla eget iaculis fermentum? Sed ac libero eu metus lacinia pretium. Praesent ultrices consequat.
January 30, 2017
The battle to win Grandparents rights is long, hard and not often rewarding in the short term. That is not to say that it is not worth it. It is only to say that Grandparents Rights may better be seen as Grandparents privileges. Since Grandparents rights aren’t and never will be constitutional it is time for a new approach. I advocate the approach of preemptive mindful actions that allow us a much better chance to be a part of our grandchildren’s lives going forward. I will be talking more about specifics in coming posts but I think we need to […]
February 3, 2016
Most of my posts have been about Grandparents Rights for a good reason. Now and then I come across a story that is so very compelling that it deserves to be shared, My Brother and Sister-in-law have some friends that have a huge challenge in their lives right now and I wanted to let the readers of this post know about it and put it on your hearts to share this with others. The subjects of the story are Chris and Jeff Weihl. They are Grandparents to some 14 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. Of course all 19 are really […]
June 4, 2015
I have taken great pains to explain why there will never be a sweeping single piece of legislation that covers Grandparents Rights. I wish it wasn’t so but that is the reality. I guess the question is; Now what do we do?. The answer is in the state legislatures. An example of progress is the Oregon State House Bill 3014 that has been approved by both houses and is awaiting Gov. Kate Brown’s signature. I have often stated that, especially when it comes to Grandparents Rights, that Logic and Law don’t come together. In the State of Oregon when […]