We owe it to the children.

If you have not sent in your response to the Family Justice Review Interim Report, now is the time to do so.

There is no point grumbling about the system if ,when given the opportunity, you don't respond.

We owe it to the millions of children who are denied contact with both parents and grandparents.

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/policy/moj/family-justice-review.htm

To do interviews or not?

It is so disappointing when you do interviews for TV at their request and interviews for national papers,at their request and nothing happens.

For anyone who is denied contact with their grandchildren, you will know how difficult it is to keep going over it again and again, the only reason that we do it is to raise public awareness and the hope that it may prevent other children being denied the love and care of both parents and grandparents.

Jane

Thank you.

Just to say thank you so much to a couple of people who have so kindly donated to the group, hopefully I will now be able to get leaflets printed etc.

I really can't thank you enough.

Jane

:)

It is all about control.

You will often hear the phrase, 'its all about control,' when you start to discuss why a resident parent decides that you can no longer have contact with your grandchildren, but what does that mean?

Control over who and about what?

The definition of control is somewhat varied: sway,power,command,rule, charge,authority,supremacy,management,constraint,limitations, curb,check, brake,regulations,suppress, repress, rein in, thats just some.

The resident parent is controlling their child's right to have contact , a right to their identity, their history and right to be cared for by BOTH parents and extended family.

Why? Actually I don't know really.

Even if grandparents have at some time spoken out of turn, overstepped the mark, what sort of person allows this to fester and become entrenched, grandparents are in some cases dying without being able to tell their grandchildren how much they love them.

What will happen to resident parents when their children start to ask questions about their family and they realise that they have been lied to?

The resident parent will lose their children themselves.

Life is so short our children and our grandchildren are on loan to us, they soon go their own way and make decisions for themselves.

Is your grandchild asking, 'Where did Gran and Grandpa go?'

Jane.
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

Only half a response?

I had a very interesting response from my MP this morning re-fathers names no longer having to be on the birth certificate.

As I was trying to understand all the jargon etc on the first page, and apparently it was all down to media misrepresentation, I eagerly turned over to the next page for more enlightenment and what do I find?

The second page is a response to someones complaint, Mmm, good job it was not sensitive information, or maybe it is, who knows as I can't understand it anyway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So sadly I am bereft as I do not have my complete response, what to do, I wonder.

Put the kettle on to think about it.

Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

A fathers love for his absent daughter.

I wanted to share the post that my son put on his daughters blog last night.
Knowing Me, Knowing You
Yes, your blog is now orange. I thought I'd change it over from the nice girly pink to something that was a bit more hip and trendy for you. The blog rework was quite difficult for me to handle though. As you get older I know that the things that you loved as a small child will not mean the same to you. It is a sad effect of life that we all grow up at some point and although you will always be my little girl, you are a fair bit bigger than when I last saw you.

When you were 7 I felt like I knew you so well; better than anyone in fact. We could draw and paint and play with flowers and you would delight in telling me all about the latest TV programmes you were watching or things your friends were doing whenever we spoke. As Easter approaches I think of you more and more and realise that I don't know you as well as a father should anymore and that makes me extremely sad. It will be four years soon since last we saw each other and a lot happens in that kind of time. One thing you learn as you grow is that the younger you are the more happens in any given period of time so if things have changed so much for me then I expect that things for you are drastically different from how I remember them and I long to know what you're up to, what you like to do, what you watch on TV and what you like to have for tea.

I think all parents have to go through this realisation at some point but, for those that manage to maintain contact with their children, this happens at a much later point in their relationship, when the child becomes a teenager or a young adult and begins to rebel in order to establish their own independence.

The truth of the matter now is that, no matter what happens, I shall always love you with all my heart and, to me, you will always be my special little girl; forever. As far as this blog is concerned I am now going to write from my heart, in the best way I can express as I am no longer writing to a small child, but to a strong little girl just getting ready for secondary school.

I love you Liandra, sleep tight; always,
Dad xxxxx

www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

Another year without her.

I can't believe that it has been 4 years since we saw our granddaughter, she was 7yr ,a little girl full of fun, now she is a young lady of 11....in June, moving on to her secondary school in September.

It feels me with despair to think that she must think we no longer love her , that I can't reach her to be able to be part of her life, all that time has gone, we can't get it back.

Before I leave this earth, I want to see my son reunited with his daughter, for her to be able to see what a great Dad he is and that he has never forgotten her, not for one second. I would do anything to make that happen.

"If you are reading this Liandra, we love you always have ,always will and think about you every single moment in time, I am so sorry that you have had to go through this, as your Gran I should be able to protect you, but I let you down.

We are here if you need us, any time, any day, any year, it hurts so much not to be able to hold you in my arms, to listen to your laughter and to support you when you need it.

We heard that you are expected to do very well in your SATS in May, predicted level 5, gracious me, you must have worked so hard at Primary school. Well done you, after all you have been through that is some achievement, we are so proud of you."

Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk