A traumatic time.GRANDMOTHER Rebecca Barnett was devastated dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. when her daughter-in-law took her grandchildren GRANDCHILDREN, domestic relations. The children of one's children. Sometimes these may claim bequests given in a will to children, though in general they can make no such claim. 6 Co. 16. away for the weekend and never brought them back. The boy and girl, aged four and seven, were taken from the North East to the other end of the country and Rebecca and her son Brian had no idea where the children were. "It was dreadful," says Rebecca. "It was so unexpected, we were all in a complete state of shock. "She just took off. It was very traumatic for the little girl, that's what bothered me the most. "The little boy was only four so he thought it was a great adventure but it was dreadful. "My son was almost suicidal. "He tried to make his wife come back home but she wanted to stay away. "I had a heart attack from all the stress." Although it has been 17 years since that fateful fate·ful adj. 1. Vitally affecting subsequent events; being of great consequence; momentous: a fateful decision to counterattack. 2. Controlled by or as if by fate; predetermined. 3. day, Rebecca still gets upset when she remembers the impact it had on the grandchildren. They have now grown up and live near her in Newcastle, much to her joy. Wiping away tears, Rebecca says: "We were very concerned and upset. Before it happened I used to see the grandchildren a lot, we saw them every weekend. "The biggest shock of all was knowing that the children would be upset. I remember seeing the little girl once and she rushed up to me, just clung to me and wouldn't let go. She was sobbing. "I cried for three months." Brian's custody battle Noun 1. custody battle - litigation to settle custody of the children of a divorced couple judicial proceeding, litigation - a legal proceeding in a court; a judicial contest to determine and enforce legal rights for the children ended up in a family court and Rebecca had to go and give evidence, an experience she found frightening. Rebecca says: "My son was desperately trying to get full custody. The case went on for months. Eventually Brian was given custody of the children during the holidays. "It was wonderful to have them home in Newcastle again. "We didn't find out for a long time afterwards af·ter·ward also af·ter·wards adv. At a later time; subsequently. afterwards or afterward Adverb later [Old English æfterweard] Adv. 1. that the children had been sent to a child psychiatrist child psychiatrist Psychiatry A psychiatrist specialized in mental, emotional, or behavior disorders of children and adolescents; CPs are qualified to prescribe medications , that's how much the ordeal had affected them. "What happened was dreadful. We lost our grandchildren and as a mother it was terrible to watch my son going through so much. "It was a horror story horror story Story intended to elicit a strong feeling of fear. Such tales are of ancient origin and form a substantial part of folk literature. They may feature supernatural elements such as ghosts, witches, or vampires or address more realistic psychological fears. ". CAPTION(S): SAD: Torn apart, record numbers of families are being ripped in two by divorce in today's Britain |
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