Positive experiences of being a grandparent

What a lovely thread to read. In comparison I am going to sound like the old woman who lived in a shoe. I have 22 grandchildren ranging in age from 35 down to 13 months . Funnily enough the youngest DGS is from my eldest son whose wife decided she would like another baby. Now I have 7 GGC with two more GGDs due next year. I have so many happy memories from them all. I adopted a sibling group of 4 in my mid 40s so they grew up with the older DGC and we had wonderful times all together with so many children together. It's just sad that as I live abroad and am not in good health at the moment.I havent been able to visit this year. Hopefully by April when the 2nd GGD is due I will be feeling fit and able to visit.

I have one adorable baby gs who I try to see once a week. It’s a 3 hour round trip but worth the effort. My dd comes here once a month for weekend. Not sure how this is going to work next year when dd goes back to work full time, I will probably only see him twice a month ☹️Wish they were closer but I have a friend with gs in Australia!!

So true Davida1968 x

Our DGC live 5000 miles away, so it's "feast or famine" as regards seeing them. What it all comes down to is, quite simply, love....

Thank you noregrets ?

Have a wonderful family Christmas Jani ❤

Hi everyone - I don’t normally get much time to reply (looking after my 92 year old Mother-in-law but love reading all your thoughts . I have 10 grandchildren and they are all great. The eldest is 22 and youngest 5. Have had all of them -not all at once for sleepovers - I will do anything for them in the day - school runs etc but I don’t like babysitting late at night - so they have sleep overs at mine which they all except - then the parents can have a nice evening and I am in my own bed. Christmas is very busy and gets expensive but I prepare early. We all go to a panto together - all 20 of us - it started off with just our first grand daughter - then our grandson - then the next lot a few Mums started to come - then the Dads now we all go which is fun then the next day which is a Sunday as we all go out for lunch . It’s great to see the children altogether - and they can exchange presents if they haven’t seen each other. So my wish for everyone is health and happiness. Enjoy Christmas and all your lovely grandchildren .

I cannot believe what joy grandchildren bring. We have two girls aged 8 and 5. One of the highlights was teaching the eldest to read long before she went to school, I've also taught her to knit. Her sister doesn't sit still long enough to do either but makes us laugh all the time. Sadly they have moved over two hours away but we see them often, FaceTime and WhatsApp. We took them away for a few days to the Lake District this summer and it's lovely that my daughter totally trusts us to look after them, they often stay with us or we go to them during school holidays and when my DD and her husband go away, either at home or abroad.

We have a total of six now, the latest one just arrived this morning! We have a very close bond with the 2 who live locally, but it's more difficult with the other 4 who are abroad of course. As they all get older it'll be easier with Skype etc.
We help out here with nursery/school pick-ups and have the wee boy a day a week. He is an absolute joy, and so much less hard work than his sister was!!!
Lovely to watch them as they grow and develop, and so thankful they're still young enough to have a cuddle and sit on my knee.

My grandson has gone from being a really difficult child to care for who wouldn't look me in the eye, threw things at me the whole time and unable to communicate with any other word other than "Up", has, in the last 6 months, learned the names of every single animal we can find, learned to count to 12, learned to read the words "cat" and "dog", and calls me "Nanny." He is thrilled to see me these days and our bond is really strong. I am smitten.

I'm very close to my daughter,and when my granddaughter was born I did a huge amount of looking after her. At the time I was self employed, so could fit things around her. For the first 3-4 years I also had her when daughter and partner (now husband) went on holiday for a fortnight.
And now 27-year-old granddaughter has twin baby boys! I'm happy to say I'm very involved still - not having both on my own for any length of time as it's too difficult now, but I see them at the very least once a week; often two or three times. And the reward is their gorgeous smiles of recognition when they see me. Happy happy relationships.

One DGD aged 3. I'm totally in love! My DS has 4, all younger than my DGD. We both love regular sleepovers, taking them out to quite ordinary places. When we get together, we just spend time discussing how much we love bring grannies, sad that our mum didn't seem to enjoy our kids in the same way.

I've helped bring up my GS, now aged 13. It has been a joy. I look after him when parents are working so it's after school and on certain days during school holidays. However I'm struggling a bit now as he constantly wants to be on his phone and I'm not sure how to entertain him any more. He'd happily spend hours on the wretched thing and I must say it upsets me a bit. I'm outdoorsy and so when the weather is nice it's not so much of a problem but it's the winter days that are difficult. Anyone got any ideas?

We have 8 DGC, 6 boys and 2 girls from our 3 DC, ranging in age from 20 to 10. Lovely, affectionate people who seem to be happy to spend time with us. All live close, which means we see them often. It hasn’t all been easy. We’ve had divorce, illness and our fair share of worry. But they are a constant source of joy and a credit to their parents. They are coming on Christmas Day and want to come each year, and we have a lot of fun together. We are aware we are very fortunate and we are so proud of them.

i have two grandsons and they are my world, we go places, have breaks together, go on trips and adventures, i love them both dearly, in fact i wonder what i did before i had them !! and like whinnie the pooh said, we never knew we were making memories we just knew we were having fun,

Two, just today.

First one, while I was cleaning my bedroom. Darling boy sat in my bed, watching Dino Dana on my laptop, eating a home made, smoothie ice lolly. Towel wrapped around him for mess control. He was rapt.

Second, this afternoon, watching him wave at me from the upper level of the soft-play I took him to. He's only 1 1/2 but he runs and climbs with children 7 or 8 years old than him.

I feel my chest contract and a lump in my throat when I look at him, I adore him so much.

I have 5 ages ranging from 2 to 10 yrs it's good that I now have time to enjoy them we have enjoyed caravan holidays pantomimes and days out in parks etc for me the best moments are when they run to me. With a big smile on their faces who could ask for more ??

My grandsons are age 7 and 3 and another baby due in February. It was instant love when I saw my first grandson and he continues to be a delight. I so enjoyed teaching him to read after so many years of teaching other children in infant school, and he is as bright as a button with such a lovely caring nature. Was worried when grandson 2 arrived that I wouldn't feel the same love but again it was instant and although he is such a different character, he makes me laugh so much with his cheeky personality. I'm so lucky they live 5 minutes away so am very involved in their lives. I have them 2 days a week and they have just gone home from a sleepover at Nanny's! Their unconditional love and kisses are priceless! ?

Making my darling grandson, Harry, laugh.

Just want to add that I also babysit, now and then, on a Saturday night, so Mum and Dad can go out. I thought having No,3 would make it harder/more tiring, but no b/c the older two are a wonderful help.

I have three grand children, I guess I am closest to the eldest as the other two live in another state and even though I love them to bits we only see them once a year. I looked after my eldest grandson a lot when he was growing up as for most of the time his mum was a single parent. We watched movies together, played games, played music. He would spend weekends with us. As he grew older he would bring his friends over for the weekend and they would play their guitars. Now he is 23 and six foot tall with a partner and a baby of his own (who I also baby sit one day a week) he always gives me huge hugs when I see him ....even in public ?

My grandson is 12 and my granddaughter 8 at Christmas ...they have been a wonder and joy from day one. I’ve babsat hundreds of times ...had the eldest three days a week when little...picked up from nursery’s ...playgroups...attended nativity plays...concerts.... even parents evening when both parents were poorly. Theyve got their own bedroom at my house. They help me garden...bake... I read to the youngest ...taught the eldest to read before school....and now do even more...as parents have separated and I now have keys for three homes. I go over early and take youngest to school...go back in afternoon to pick up, cook their dinner , at least three times a week. I don’t drive so I get loads of exercise. I adapt to whichever gone I’m in...week 1 at dads...week 2 at mums...that sort of thing..... I liaise with school face to face as parents work 10 hour days...attend school trips as helper! My life is jammed with my grandchildren and would I think be lonely and bland without them and their ‘doings’. I also stand on touchlines watching rugby ( boy) and football( girl) ...no pink girls in this family.... I take eldest to boxing practice...scouts. and the girl to football training and music lessons .... and soon to scouts as well. My life is full and content with their comings and goings. Wonderful! Is that a positive enough reaction!

What a delightful thread, Noregrets!

I have 3 DGC, 2 girls and a boy. The girls are schoolage, and the boy is a toddler. I watch the little doll one day a week and pick up the older two from school that day also. Often, I have them a few days during holidays, as well. It's such a joy to be w/ them and to see them all together. The older two are very loving to their little brother and happily play w/ him when they come back to my house after school. How I love to see their smiling faces and hear their laughter! And, of course, I love the little hugs and kisses though I get more from the little guy these days, LOL! Some days, my heart just bursts with love!

Great post, Apricity!

GagJo, sorry that living w/ DD isn't working out so well, but if it's any comfort, I think that's quite common. Glad you found a place to move out to. And very glad you've had so much time w/ GS!

Urmstongran - delightfu story! Glad little GD enjoyed her new pyjamas and bed and slept well in them!

Sometimes it’s just being there for the small moments in life that bring happiness.

Yesterday tea time our little granddaughter who will be 3y soon was excited to tell us ‘grandma I’m going in a big girl bed now with a Peppa pillow’.

I saw her for an hour this morning and her mummy was so pleased - she went straight off to sleep, in her new pyjamas and didn’t wander out of bed once!

❤️

Our son and ex daughter in law had a baby while he was finishing his degree. We were,umm, quite surprised. Like some of the others here I felt I was too young! Christopher is nine now and his sister is seven. We've had them 30 days at a time when our don deployed overseas when had had custody. The joy and connection we developed with them has been wonderful. It makes me so happy when they remember our vacations and the things we do. I absolutely love bathtime! I was sad when I had to leave Christopher alone!