Grandparents have a special place in our hearts. When my son was born, he was the first grandchild on both sides of the family. Needless to say, he was a bit spoiled. I made t-shirts for the grandparents that said "Grandkids are the reward for not killing our children." He has since overcome that spoiling for the most part, but he loves his grandparents. He saw this expression in my catalog that I had lying on the table and specifically told me,
"That grandparent one is so cool!" We are extremely blessed to have not 1, but 2 sets of grandparents that are very involved in our kids' lives. Growing up, my immediately family was always the family that lived far from the grandparents because my dad was in the Air Force. My hubby was the same way, minus the Air Force part--they just lived far away. So while it is sometimes tempting to move far, far away from family drama, we have chosen to stay close so that our kids can have that relationship and extra helping of love.
Even though we see the grandparents on a regular basis (Grandpa even gets to pick the kids up after school most days), they still like to spoil the kids on a fairly regular basis...a little candy stuck in a backpack pocket, ice cream after school, staying up late to watch a movie. You get the point. Left to their own devices for too long, there might be a bit of trouble, but sometimes, I'll admit, it's just easier to play by Vegas rules...as in, what happens at Grandma and Grandpa's house or Gram and Grandad's house, stays at their house. It's not that I'm in denial about what goes on. It's certainly not that I don't want to be in control. I have just learned that sometimes the ensuing battle and hurt feelings aren't worth it over 1 piece of candy or one night where ice cream came before dinner. If it happened every night, then we might be revisiting the issue...
In the meantime, snack away, laugh, giggle, and snuggle, stay up late and eat ice cream. These times are coming to an end all too fast. Then come home to reality and chores, but for now, what happens at the grandparents' house, stays at the grandparents' house.
P.S. If you are reading this and you are the grandparent, do not take it as license to do absolutely anything and all the time. One reason I have learned to allow some space to the grandparents in my kids' lives is because they have been respectful of our boundaries and don't push them all the time. Honestly, that gets old really quickly. There. That's my disclaimer.
I'd love to hear what fun memories that your kids have because grandparents pushed the rules a smidge. Comment below.
Even though we see the grandparents on a regular basis (Grandpa even gets to pick the kids up after school most days), they still like to spoil the kids on a fairly regular basis...a little candy stuck in a backpack pocket, ice cream after school, staying up late to watch a movie. You get the point. Left to their own devices for too long, there might be a bit of trouble, but sometimes, I'll admit, it's just easier to play by Vegas rules...as in, what happens at Grandma and Grandpa's house or Gram and Grandad's house, stays at their house. It's not that I'm in denial about what goes on. It's certainly not that I don't want to be in control. I have just learned that sometimes the ensuing battle and hurt feelings aren't worth it over 1 piece of candy or one night where ice cream came before dinner. If it happened every night, then we might be revisiting the issue...
In the meantime, snack away, laugh, giggle, and snuggle, stay up late and eat ice cream. These times are coming to an end all too fast. Then come home to reality and chores, but for now, what happens at the grandparents' house, stays at the grandparents' house.
P.S. If you are reading this and you are the grandparent, do not take it as license to do absolutely anything and all the time. One reason I have learned to allow some space to the grandparents in my kids' lives is because they have been respectful of our boundaries and don't push them all the time. Honestly, that gets old really quickly. There. That's my disclaimer.
I'd love to hear what fun memories that your kids have because grandparents pushed the rules a smidge. Comment below.
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