I get how complicated life can be. The fact that Grandparents rights even need to exist is troublesome. As I get older I have a better vantage point to see both sides of things. I admit to being Pollyannic but that doesn’t change the reality of what is going on in family life today. I recognize that there are bad actors on both sides of family dysfunction.
One of the reasons I took a sabbatical from writing in this space is that I was overwhelmed by the sadness of people wanting to spend time together that would add great value to each other but for often misguided and irrelevant reasons this doesn’t happen. I will admit that I was cowardly in stepping back. This is an important challenge and my goal is to find what ever common ground, in as many situations as I can to try to make this fertile ground of extended family life a place of learning and loving. I am coming to some insights that have to do with education, education and education.
I have walked into some firestorms of parents rights folks, Grandparents rights folks and lawyers with few answers. The one thing that is missing is GRANDCHILDREN’S RIGHTS. All of the rhetoric and legal mumbo jumbo surrounds the first three groups. I want to turn the narrative to the number one term in all litigation” the best interest of the child”. How do we get there from “He said, She said” in divorce court proceedings?
You all will hear a lot about this as we go forward. It is my hope to turn the conversation from the power of the Parent/Grandparent to the power of the Grandkids>
Thank You for being a Caring Grandparent. Grandpa NEIL