Hello!
I am looking for some advice regarding grandparents rights. My mother lives in a different country (she is British but lives abroad) and we are estranged. We have always had a tough relationship, with her always being very controlling and demanding. Some background: she hated my now husband, but paid for us to get married. She then tells me to leave him, and by the following day would say she thinks he's great.
With my children, she has always spoilt them but at the same time thought that she knows best with them. She took my first child for his first haircut without consulting me, taking away that milestone from me when she was meant to be spending time with him for the morning. She would let my two boys watch films I deemed inappropriate for them, take them to places I specifically asked her not to take them etc. One example is London after there were the problems in Westminister. She was having them for the day and night and I asked her to not take them to London as my signal would be sketchy where I was going and if something went wrong in London I wouldn't be able to get hold of them. She sent me a full agenda (not my requirement) stating what she was doing with our sons for the day, all local to where we live. However she picked them up, took them to London for lunch with estranged family members and called me to tell me once she was there.
My children are busy almost every weekend with activities etc and she will demand to see them, to have them over night etc when she is in the UK. I have said no to her having them overnight as I don't trust where she says she's staying with them, and I don't truly trust that she is doing what she says she is with my children, aged 7&8. She has demanded to see them next weekend, they are busy all weekend and will not be dropping their commitments; they don't want to drop them, and she is now threatening me via email.
What I want to know is, what are grandparents rights to see grandchildren? I have tried to maintain the children seeing their grandmother as mine and hers lack of relationship is not their fault, however I am completely estranged from her apart from via email. She doesnt live in this country, she lives elsewhere in the EU, so would going to court for visitation rights work in her favour? My husband and I don't want her seeing the children anymore, due to the amount of abuse I receive from her and the lack of trust in knowing where our children are; and her going against our wishes.
Help!