I know I wrote about this recently but want grandparents to be fully aware.
We get requests all the time for grandparents who are prepared to speak to the media in all its forms.
It is not an easy thing to do and you do need to think about it carefully before you do agree.
As I have written before it is important that grandparents share their stories to make sure we continue to raise awareness of estrangement and alienation.
When you are in this situation you are very vulnerable and often frustrated that you can’t get your point of view across, it is the injustice of it all that is so difficult to accept.
So when you get a call from a very friendly researcher or producer, who says all the right things, it feels as though you will be able to have your moment.
Just always have it in your mind that without you they have no story, no feature, no article and no interview.
Be prepared that you might get a back lash.
If it is a newspaper or magazine article, never, ever read the comments underneath. They can be hurtful to say the very least, you do need to have a bit of a tough skin.
If you want to remain anonymous then say so, if they say that they really like to use your name, then remember what I said, without you there is no story. Ask if you can use a fictitious name.
Absolutely never ever tell them the names of your grandchildren or let them use photos of them.
Don’t badmouth your son/daughter, son in law/ daughter in law.
Once it is out there it is all over the internet forever.
As I have said previously if you are thinking of or are going through a legal process don’t even consider talking to the media.
If you run a support group always get written permission from grandparents, you need to protect yourselves to, grandparents do change their minds and often when it is too late to change it.
