Grandparents’ Day 2026

Both Parents Matter Chair of Trustees – Frances Carr – shares her thoughts on the importance of Grandparents

Grandparents Day is a time to celebrate the love, wisdom and stability that grandparents bring to children’s lives. For many families, grandparents are treasured. But for thousands of grandparents across the UK, it is also a painful reminder of what could have been, missed milestones and phone calls that no longer come. Children have a fundamental need to be loved and supported by their wider family, and when that bond is broken, it leaves a gap that cannot easily be filled.

At Both Parents Matter, our mission is to help children maintain meaningful relationships not only with both parents after separation, but also with the wider family members who help them feel safe, rooted and loved. The evidence is clear: supportive relationships with wider family, especially grandparents, can strengthen a child’s emotional wellbeing, resilience and overall development.

A personal reflection

I only really knew one of my grandparents. I was a later-life child, and although my cousins spoke fondly about beach trips with my maternal grandparents, I never had that opportunity. My grandfather died two years before I was born, and my grandmother already had Alzheimer’s when I knew her. Those stories always sounded like such fun. I still feel a little salty that I missed out on the adventures.

That is why I struggle to understand why any child would be cut off from safe, loving and involved grandparents. I would have loved the chance to know mine.

Why grandparents matter

When parents separate, grandparents can provide continuity at a time when children may feel anxious and unsettled.

· The familiarity of baking with Granny or helping Grandad in the garden can offer comfort when family life feels uncertain.

· Grandparents can provide a safe, trusted space where children feel able to ask difficult questions.

· They help children stay connected to their family history, identity and sense of belonging.

Grandparents are not simply extended family. They are part of a child’s roots. When family dynamics shift, a grandparent’s home can remain a place of unconditional love, stability and continuity. That is something worth celebrating.

Our Grandparents Support Group

Our Grandparents Support Group offers vital support to grandparents who are separated from precious grandchildren while also trying to support their own son or daughter through post-separation family life. The anguish in the group is real, and Grandparents Day makes that pain feel even sharper.

One grandmother who contacted me wrote that she feared she would die before seeing her grandchildren again. No grandparent should have to carry that fear alone.

Children’s rights and family relationships

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child recognises the importance of family relationships. Article 5 respects the role of extended family, while Article 8 affirms a child’s right to preserve their identity and family ties without unlawful interference.

Many of the grandparents we support once had strong, loving relationships with their grandchildren. When those relationships disappear without good reason, children and grandparents both suffer. It would appear that the UNCRC is being broken, but currently the law doesn’t protect this relationship. Both Parents is working hard to change this.

Are you a grandparent separated from your grandchildren?

If you are a grandparent struggling to maintain contact with your grandchildren, you do not have to carry this weight alone. Both Parents Matter offers a dedicated monthly Grandparents Support Group to help you navigate family separation and find solidarity with others who understand your pain.

Or if you are a parent apart from your children and worried that it is taking a toll on your own parents, please recommend them to contact Both Parents Matter (see below).

This Grandparents Day, we urge separated parents to look past immediate conflicts and protect the vital bond between grandchildren and grandparents.

The Helpline: Our helpline is for grandparents too. You can call the national helpline at 0300 0300 363 for confidential support.

Meeting Info: Our Grandparents Support Group meets virtually on the second Thursday of every month from 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM