Had to laugh when I read this ....not at the originator of the post, but at the memory of when my daughter was small ! We all lived in Essex, almost the East End of London, and my in laws were all east enders of the old fashioned variety ...the (Auntie Amy, Auntie Millie, Auntie Florrie, Grandad and Nanna ...would all dash to get their hands on my daughter ....and suggest I might want to go out shopping in Romford, or up to London .....so they could get her to themselves where she was the centre of attention ....including being given (aargh !) bread dipped in sugar (well, she's teething they would say !) ......she was thoroughly spoiled. They even took her on holidays to Portugal with my sister in law, and down to their caravan in Devon for as long as they possibly could .....my husband and I were working full time, and used to go down for a week with them as well .....then they would take her to Yarmouth, Walton on Naze, I hardly ever saw her ! When my husband (their son) and I got divorced, I would take the train from Chelmsford, via Gidea Park, where grandad would pick up my daughter from the train, and hand her back when I came back from working in London all day .....all worked very well. She loved her grandad, but not so much her Nanna, as she was a real east ender, who spoke her mind !
Som enjoy them whilst you can ....dont give them sugar sandwiches though ! ....get a paddling pool and a tent for the garden in the summer (supervised, if they are young !) and enjoy the time you have with them. You will build up a wonderful relationship with them if you are lucky, which will last long into their adulthood .....as did my daughter's with her grandparents. In later years, she would make a round trip from University in her little car, avoiding my house , then in Nottinghamshire, down the motorway to Romford just to see Grandad ! She phoned me up one night at 10.30pm (by then I was living in Spain !) to ask how to get from Saffron Walden to Romford .......my ex b i l lives in Stansted, so I got him to go find her and show her the road to Romford !
Som if you can ignore the fact that your d i l annoys you by going to have a lie down, just offer her a cup of tea when she wakes up, and tell what fun you have had with the children. Hopefully she will feel grateful for the break, and you will feel better ! Above all, it will only be a passing phase in life ! Read the Desiderata ....very true !