I have looked after my now six year old granddaughter since she was 11 months old, a year later her then 11 month old cousin joined us one day a week. I worked around all of this too. I now look after my granddaughter and her sister three days a week, my three grandsons now live interstate.
I spent a month in May looking after two of my grandsons in Qld while their mother was doing her student teachers placement, she would leave at 7am each day. I did the washing, cooked tea during the week, packed lunches, made lots of cakes with my grandsons, took the 5 year old to school and I cleaned. My elderly mother was also staying for ten days before flying back home and I had my 3 year old grandson to look after during the day. Before I went home my 3 year old grandson said to me, 'Grandma, I love you, don't go.'
My other 3 year old grandson who lives in the country asked me last time I was leaving after staying for two weeks if he could come with me. When I later spoke to him on the phone he said 'Grandma come home.' Last year my eldest daughter dropped me off to catch the bus to visit him in Victoria instead of driving myself the five hour drive and she said my grand daughters cried for a long time when I left on the bus.
I really miss the ones I am not with and would love a holiday on my own for a week and not do a thing for anybody, I am getting tired, but I am looking after my elderly mother now too. It's not forever, my grandchildren will get older, I won't have my mother much longer either.