I did a video this week about social media and the pitfalls.
You don’t have to look very hard to find a forum where grandparents bad mouth those who have estranged themselves and the grandchildren, these comments always make me feel very uncomfortable.
Many of the forums are open and are there for all to see.
I remember once gently reminding a poster that the forum was open to the public, and the response was
I don’t care, if my adult child reads it, then she will see what she is doing.
Of course it could well be your own grandchildren reading these comments, how are they going to feel when they see their grandparents, talking about one of their parents in such a derogatory manner?
I understand that we all get angry at some point and we need to vent, but using social media is absolutely not the way to go.
We also know that lawyers, social workers ect also read these forums, and they can be used against you.
Before you write anything, just imagine your own grandchildren reading what you are writing, don’t write in anger.
Today a report was released by Place2be, which makes very interesting reading.
They have produced films of children speaking about social media, and we all need to listen to what they are saying.
Children don’t want their life shown on social media platforms.
We must never forget that whatever the adults in the grandchildren’s lives have done to us, it is nothing to do with the children.
They should not be involved at all.
One of the suggestions I make to estranged grandparents is writing a blog or journal, but it must be about things you have been doing, newsy stuff, family events certainly not a place where you write about the estrangement, children do not need to know any of that.
I know that grandparents find the injustice of not being able to put their side to the grandchildren, unbearable, and feel they need to tell them.
Of course everyone has to do what they think is right for them, but is it right for the grandchildren?
