Another Grandparent Question When You..... - Page 3

CrazyKittyLvr2 · ‎05-11-2013

It's funny all of my grandparents were all well into their 60's when I was born. My parents were in their late 40's when our daughter, their first grandchild came along.

My Mother asked when she could take DD for the weekend when I was still in the hospital. Geez, can I get her home first. Let's just say DD loved to visit them. It took me a week or more to get her back on regular naps and used to Mommy not have all day to just play when she got back from their house.

IamMrsG · ‎08-29-2010

My paternal grandparents were separated. We rented from Dad's mother. She was crass. 'Nuff said. My grandfather had a reputation for being a grouch, and most of my many cousins were scared of him, but, for some reason, I was his favorite. I loved him. The big draw at his house was that he had a color television. It didn't seem to matter that everything had a weird green tint to it.

Visiting my maternal grandparents was a Summer vacation every year. Going to their farm for a week or two was always such a treat. It was unique fun for this city girl to gather eggs from the hen house, carry in fire wood for Grandma's cookstove (there's another word you don't hear anymore) or to sleep on those enormous feather beds they had.

This conversation has got me to thinking what kind of experience it is for my grandchildren to visit me. I'm afraid I lean more towards the, "Careful, don't break that" type of grandparent. Fuel for thought.

Strive for respect instead of attention. It lasts longer.

CANDLEQUEEN · ‎03-09-2010

I had a ball with both sets of my grandparents in different ways! Both lived in town, and in fact my mom's parents lived around the block from us, and they vacationed with us every summer, and my friends and my sister and I would ride our bikes around the block, and always stop and get treats from them....

My dad's parents lived across town, and every Sunday after church we went over and ate dinner with them and visited. They were always so sweet.....My grandmother didn't drive, she was very old fashioned, but my mom's mom was just the opposite. She wore pant suits, smoked and drove....Loved them both so much and have such good, fun memories..

I am the type of grandmother that loves to play and have fun with my 3 grandchildren. I get in the floor and get messy and do all the fun things with them. I want them too to have great memories of me and their grandfather when they are older.....

GraceLady · ‎01-03-2013

What a fun question! My Polish grandparents had a don't touch house. We always sat in the kitchen, on a stool brought in by my grandfather. He gave us a candy from his shirt pocket, and retreated to the family room to watch sports. Our grandmother made us orange juice. The same visit every single time. We never went in the living room, but did peek in. The furniture was covered in plastic. There were plastic runners over the carpeting. We would also pop in to visit my grandfather in the family room if we got tired of adult talk in the kitchen, but it was only a visit in the sense that we watched sports with him. We never once saw a single bedroom or bathroom in their house. We were offered food, but blood soup or blood sausage made with the blood of the ducks that we mistakenly thought were pets--something we kids could never stomach. I still loved them for who they were and love my memories even though they are not as rich as they might have been.

My German grandparents were the warm, loving grandparents that cuddled us and read us stories and did things with us. It was like a second home. They lived about 50 minutes away, and we went quite often. They are the ones that were there for us when my father was sick and my mother needed help. They would move in to help out if we were going through a crisis like chicken pox with 4 kids 5 and under and just mom to take care of us. Grandpa became a father figure after daddy died. They were everything to us. They were very simple people, with a very small bag of toys that was kept in the linen closet, and a high chair that all the grandchildren used when they visited. Meals were simple but delicious. Grandma made the best apple pie on earth. I was with her when she made one of her last pies, and asked her for the recipe. "I go by feel." "I can just tell." Our kids played with the same simple toys we did, and after she died, we took our favorites. We all still devour "Great Grandma's Banana Bread" as it has been named by our children. It goes back further than my grandma, but that is who they credit. She has been gone quite a while now, yet she she is talked about daily. I always say if I can be half the woman she was, I will consider myself a success.

lOVETOSHOP · ‎10-26-2010

My maternal grandparents lived out of state so I only saw them once a year. When we would visit them, the whole family went so I never spent any time with them alone.

My paternal grandmother was a hoot...she was in her early 40's when I was born. My brother, sister and I loved sleeping over at her house and did it often throughout our childhood. She loved taking us for long car rides and we would talk about all sorts of things. She always took us out to eat for lunch and dinner, which we loved! She bought us bicycles and took us to Disney World the first year it opened. She moved a lot when we were young, but we loved it because we always had new houses to explore! She made elaborate Sunday dinners that our family enjoyed for many years. She was an accomplished cake baker and decorator and she made our birthday cakes for years...we always looked forward to her creations!

She was kind and generous to us always, and we always had fun when we were with grandma! She was a major light in my life and she passed about 10 years ago. I so miss her! But I'm due to be a first time grandma in September of this year, and I SO want to be the kind of grandma to my grandson-to-be that my wonderful grandma was to me!!