Grandparents offer so much to family life. My kids are lucky to have a full set of grandparents on each side, and I still have my Granny too so my kids also have their great granny.
Having all the generations together makes family gatherings much more special. We did have everyone get together for a family wedding over half term, and had the chance to do some family meals and visits with grandparents too. As we don’t live so near to my parents, we don’t always get chance to do this as often as we would like. My parents have thought about moving down south to be a bit nearer to my sister and I and all the grandchildren, so I am really hoping they will be able to find somewhere suitable and go ahead with this!
It would be so lovely to have the grandparents a little closer, to be able to plan days out together and for my mum to be able to help me out from time to time with the kids (of course we’re happy to help out our parents too with anything they need, so as not to make it a one way street!)
Each time when I’ve had babies my mum always comes to help out with the other kids while I go into hospital to have the baby, which is a big weight off my mind as I don’t have to worry about rushing to drop them off somewhere on the way to the delivery ward – my mum tends to come a week or so beforehand so she’s already in place at our house. Then of course she’s perfectly placed to get lots of newborn snuggles once we’re back home too! I don’t know what I would do without my mum in these situations!
I’m lucky enough to work from home so I’m mostly around for the kids, to do their school runs and take them to any appointments but I know a lot of people have to work outside of the house (or prefer to!) so grandparents can be a massive help in these situations too.
If you’re not lucky enough to have help from grandparents, check here to find out about help with childcare costs.
Day nurseries for babies and toddlers can be very expensive, so I definitely understand why many people prefer help from grandparents, even if just for one or two days a week. It also helps to build a strong bond and relationship between grandparents and child, which is really important!
As a child, I had one set of grandparents locally and we used to go for sleep overs there, and they would look after us if we were ill and had to stay home from school (as my parents were teachers they wouldn’t be able to take time off!) and my other granny lived a bit further away so we would go and stay with her during the summer which we always really enjoyed. It’s lovely to see my children building their relationships with grandparents now too.
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.