I fall into this category of grandparent, the grandparent who lives right around the corner. I think it is important to have balance in your life when you live close to your children and grandchildren. For me this means having a date night each week with my husband, helping my daughter out with transporting her children to activities once or twice a week and babysitting the grandchildren once a week for a few hours while she earns a little extra money tutoring. We try to have the whole family over for dinner three or four times a month on Sunday. They usually leave with leftovers enough for another meal.
Now that my grandchildren are five and two, we starting to have sleepovers with them. I am thinking about making this a monthly event. I see this as a win-win for all concerned. Quality time with the grandchildren away from their parents, and alone time for the busy young couple. I think it builds some feeling of independence for the children, at a time when the two year old is very attached to his mother.
It is very important to remember not to break any of the rules that the parents have set down. It would be devastating to find yourself in the position of living so close and not being able to see them because their parents have lost the ability to trust you with their children. Maybe bending them a little is reasonable as a grandparent, but check with the parents before you do. Reminding them of the relationship that they had with their grandparent and how important it was to them may help.
No comments:
Post a Comment