Topic
Grandparents and the wider family
In-laws, grandparents, nannies, relatives under one roof.
Articles
- Adult Sibling Rivalry: Old Family Roles That Come BackYou're forty, with children of your own. But at your parents' table you're suddenly "the baby", "the responsible one", "the difficult one" again. A letter about adult siblings, old roles, and what your children see.
- The Role of Aunts and Uncles in a Child's LifeThe aunt who listens, the uncle who teaches, the cousins who feel like siblings. How the wider family can support a child and a tired parent, and what to say, and avoid, when relatives help or interfere.
- Setting Boundaries With In-Laws (and Still Loving Your Family)Loving your family and needing room from them can both be true. Before-and-after examples of boundary sentences with parents and in-laws, said with respect and without guilt.
- Grandparents Breaking Your Rules? The Few That Cannot BendWhen grandparents spoil, undermine or simply do things differently, the fight is rarely about the sweets. How to agree on a few rules that matter, and let the rest be grandma's house.
- Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: A Practical GuideYou thought your parenting years were behind you. Now there are school runs and bedtimes again. A practical guide for grandparents raising grandchildren: the child's feelings, your own, and where to find support.
- Holidays With Two Families: Sharing Time and Keeping the PeaceWhose family for the holiday? Whose traditions? Which grandparents? What to say, and what to avoid, when two families meet at holidays and big gatherings, for couples together and for parents in two homes.
- When the Nanny's Rules Are Not Your RulesA nanny, a nursery or a family carer who does things differently. A practical checklist for agreeing the rules that matter, and a calm way to talk about it.
- When Your Parents Criticise Your Parenting: What to Say"In my day, we never..." "You're too soft with him." When grandparents or in-laws interfere in how you raise your children: what to say, who should say it, and how to keep the peace without giving up your role.
- When a Relative Lives With You: Two Sets of Rules Under One RoofWhen a grandparent, aunt or uncle moves in, the house can suddenly have two sets of rules. Why the tension grows, and how to share a home without losing your place as the parent.
- Sandwich Generation: Caring for an Ill Parent and Your KidsHospital visits in the afternoon, homework in the evening, worry all night. A letter to the parent caught between an ill mother or father and their own children, about guilt, limits and asking for help.
- Does Your Child See You as Safe? Why Children Don't Tell Their ParentsA child can be hit by a relative, bullied or hurt, and never tell you. Three reasons children stay silent, the hair between protecting and overreacting, and what to do the moment they tell.
- When Your Teenager Carries Your WorriesChores and responsibility are good for teenagers. Carrying a parent's money worries, loneliness or marriage problems is not. An honest checklist, and how to give the weight back to the adults.
- When Grandparents Have a Favourite GrandchildOne grandchild gets the gifts, the praise and the attention, and another notices. How to raise favouritism with grandparents without a family war, and what to say to the child who feels left out.
- "You're Not My Real Dad!" What a Stepparent Can SayA stepchild shouts "You're not my real dad" or "You're not my mum." What the sentence is really saying, the reply that keeps both the truth and your place, and who should be doing the discipline.