Can children change their name?

This is a useful link to answer questions on children or resident parents wanting to change their name.
http://www.ukdp.co.uk/name-change-age-restrictions/
Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

US Support for Grandparents

As you know we are contacted by grandparents all over the world, denied contact is a global issue, for anyone in the US here is a link to AGA a group that offers support in your neck of the woods.
www.aga-fl.org

Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

What can you expect from Bristol Grandparents Support Group?

In a previous blog I posed the question, 'Why join a support group?'
To follow on from that, you may be asking what qualifies us to run a support group.
The  answer is because we are going through it, we understand and know the hurt that is involved.
Although it was 2007 when  we had any contact with our granddaughter, it feels just like yesterday.
I remember so clearly my immediate reaction.
I thought this is ridiculous, this can't be happening, it will be OK.
As time went on, I realised that things were very far from OK, so what should I do about it?
As a grandparent you somehow feel, mistakenly, that you can sort it all out.
You soon find that you can't.
I know that I was astounded to find out that grandparents had no automatic legal right to see their grandchildren, talking to lawyers etc it became clear that it was a minefield, and did we really want to go down that path?
We made a decision not to take it to court, we all felt that our granddaughter had to live her life, in the way her resident parent wanted her to and that by us going to court etc it would make it increasingly difficult for her.
She had to be allowed to get on with her life.
Having made that very hard decision, I moved on to another stage, how to turn this awful situation into something more positive.
For me the answer was trying to link up with other grandparents in my area that were going through the same thing.
1,000 plus grandparents later from all over the UK and beyond, every single grandparent who has ever contacted me, is qualified to be part of the group, they have empathy, experience and great listening ears.
Its simple, they just know.
If you find yourself in this situation, don't think you are alone, you are not and we are here to help.
Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupporgroup.co.uk

Should child know where Dad is?

I read today a post on a forum from a Mum who said that after many years she has now found the Dad of her child on FB, and she posed the question what should she do?
Is this a difficult decision?
There are several ways to look at it, from the adults perspective, a Mum who was left at 3 months pregnant to bring up her daughter, as far as I can tell Dad has not had any contact, the child is now 15 years of age. So probably you would think, 'well you had 15 years to get in touch,' he knew where they lived etc, 'so how would you react now?'
The other, and the most important one for me, is looking at it from the child's perspective. She knows about her Dad, and she is now 15, and needs to be given the information that his whereabouts is now known, and for her to be able to be given the choice of making an informed decision.
Not being given that choice is not an option, these things have a nasty habit of coming back to haunt you.
If the child at a later date finds out that Mum knew where he was, but didn't tell her, it could so easily rebound, creating yet more conflict.
Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

Men increasingly at risk.

http://www.familylaw.co.uk/articles/men-increasingly-at-risk-of-domestic-violence
Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

The voice of children.

Today I was talking to someone whose parents divorced when he was very young.
He spent his time going from one to another, and he told me it felt as though he was on a see-saw, and he had to learn to be two different people.
He would be child number one with one parent and child number two with the other.
Both parents had different values and he soon learnt that he had to take on those different values as well, to make sure that he didn't upset either parent.
Both parents would say horrible things about the other, and they tried to make him  take sides and to pick his 'favourite.'
He is now in his 30's and is trying to come to terms with Parental Alienation, in his case it was both parents and he has turned away from both of them.
The result is that two parents are now left without the love of their son and a son is without his parents, he has lost trust in all adult members of his family.
Three lives ruined just because adults were unable to put their child first.
Jane
www.bristolgrandparentssupportgroup.co.uk

Family Court Experts Under Scrutiny.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22551909
Jane