Helpful Grandparents?

Pappy, Capa, Gramps, Nana, Gran, Grandma

No matter what they are called, Grandparents play a critical role in the lives of little ones. They are however in a different stage of life and while they are deservedly adored by their wide eyed Grand Children parents must respect that they are not on the exact same wavelength as Mom and Dad.

I have to admit, I am a hyper sensitive Mom when it comes to my kids. Not in a weird, clingy, breastfeed till your 18 sort of way but in a eagle eye focused on their surroundings scenario. When Grandma and Grampa see a fun filled day on the dock fishing, I see hooks with barbs, deep water and a million dangerous things to trip and fall on.

Grandparents are at the stage where fun and unencumbered exploration with the kids is the name of the game and parent’s rules are good but a little restrictive these days. Mom needs to chill just a bit. After all, back in the day, kids didn’t wear seatbelts, childproofing was a skull and crossbones sticker and helmets weren’t needed to walk to the mailbox and back.

So what have I learned about the secret to successful co existence and harmony amongst the generations? The key is to be flexible and empathetic. When Grampa wants to share an ice cream the size of Mount Everest with my 2 year old 20 minutes before bed……I pause. Shall I turn into Medusa and scream “NOOOOOOOOOOO are you insane Dad?” Which by the way is maybe not the greatest role modelling for my son. Or do I come up with a compromise whereby a little ice cream is shared between the ages and the rest is saved for tomorrow in a take it to the freezer game?

I now know to choose the latter. So much better for everyone’s sanity, even if my inner Medusa is screaming to get out, snaky head and all. Pappy and Nana are so into the joy of the grand children that they are blissfully unaware of what happens when the bedroom door closes, or the road trip begins or a tired little brain flips into that dreaded overtired state. They don’t need to know the gory details of the “toddlernators” but a little subtle guiding by Mom can do wonders to keep 80% of the “rules” humming along while keeping the Grandparents happy,

So bring on the grey haired adventures for the kids. I am ready to adapt and be flexible……just don’t break all the rules or you may just get a nasty nip from one of my snakes.