When Grandparents Are Shut Out
Donna M. is a long-distance grandmother. Through technology she has been able to maintain a relationship with her sixteen-year-old grandson. She pokes him on Facebook and, a couple of times a month, they visit on Skype. When her son and daughter-in-law started having marital problems, Donna kept trying to reach out to Jared. She avoids mentioning anything having to do with the D word. Recently, communication is mostly one-sided.
Donna's experience is not unique. When parents divorce, grandchildren typically get caught in the crossfire. Divorce sparks loyalty issues. Jared may have heard all kinds of stories, some true, some false, about the role his grandmother played fanning the flames of his parents' marital problems.
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