What was your relationship like with your grandparents?

I had a wonderful relationship with my maternal GM. I lost touch with my father's mother when my parents divorced; her choice.

My gran was my rock and I was devastated when she died. That was 23 years ago and I still miss her. If I'd been allowed to be a GM to our ES's children, I'd have hoped to have been just like she was.

I adored my Nan, I spent a lot of time with her as a child as grandad worked away. I listened to her stories about the war,helped her do whatever diy project she had taken on, and spent time just doing things together, coming from a large family this never happened at home. Nan was my best friend, and even as an adult,I could always talk my problems through with her. I miss this lovely gentle woman, and wish she was still with us.

I adore my paternal Nanna. She's my favourite person in the world. That woman can do no wrong in my eyes. I just love her. I call her at the very least twice a week and see her as often as I can.

My Maternal Bampa....I don't think he's a bad person. I think he had good intentions but he married a witch and is a weak man who followed her lead. I care for him. Wish him well and he is lovely to my children who like him. I'd never call him just for a chat and see him every few months or so.
With my Nanna my world with break when she passes ( although my husband beloved she will out live us all!)
Sadly with my Bampa I believe I would be sad. Mostly for my mum but I will be able to carry on with my day and just attend the funeral. And that does make me sad. I wish our relationship was better.

I was lucky enough to have my paternal grandma and my maternal nana around until they were both 94. My maternal died before I was born and my paternal grandad when I was 16 just as I was starting my 'o' levels.
We saw my paternal grandma and grandad regularly growing up. They were lovely but stricter than my nana who we lived with.
With nana it was like having 2 mums. She worked as a cleaner for some of the local shop owners and I remember going to work with her during the school holidays when my mum was working. Even in her 80s after I had my own children she came to stay with me for a couple of weeks to help me with my daughter. And this not long after she had had a heart attack, but she was insistent about doing it. I still miss her since she died in 2003. My late husband and my nana adored each other. When we got married my nana was't well enough to go and he was very happy for us to go to see her at home for an hour between the meal and the evening do.
History has repeated itself in that my daughter, her partner and my grandson have moved in with me. My husband didn't get to see my grandson as she found out she was expecting a week before the funeral.

My paternal grandparents died before I was born. My maternal GPs would have nothing to do with me as I was adopted and illegitimate. Different times.

My paternal grandmother was very old and although I saw her every weekend I had very little to do with her. She lived with her two spinster daughters and I was very close to them. They had a supply of toys, books and plasticene to play with and the younger one used to take me to the theatre and horse shows. My Maternal grandfather always seemed fun but he died when I was 10. My mother said it was probably just as well because he only liked young children, Apparently he used to beat her with a billiard cue when she got old enough to be argumentative. Her mother thought I was odd and the feeling was mutual. We really had very little in common.

My Grandmother was the most amazing woman. As a child I loved spending time with her, she was known as Silly Nanny to us. She was always there with wise words and a cuddle. She was great fun to be with. As an adult I always went to stay with her every other weekend. We used to have such a laugh together. She saw me through highs and lows. I love her to bits, although she sadly died 7 years ago x

Although I saw my grandparents, I didn’t really relate to them. We were expected to be quiet and sit still. There were no toys but occasionally one grandfather took me outside to look at his vegetable plot! I loved it....and that rubbed off on me. To this day, I love being in the garden.

We visited my grandparents every weekend and were expected to sit and behave ourselves. No entertainment was provided so I used to read. My grandmother used to sit on The News of the World so that I couldn't get hold of it. She referred to it as granny's bible!!

When I was three Mum was in hospital for 18 months with TB. Gran, Mum's Mum, looked after me while Mum was away.

We stayed incredibly close right up to her death.

My paternal grandmother died before I was born and my paternal grandfather died when I was eleven. As he lived not too far away and had a car we saw him fairly regularly. Can't say we were close. My maternal grandparents lived into my adulthood but they were based in Scotland while we lived in the south of England so I saw them only for the odd week or two in the summer and not even every year. My grandfather was an alcoholic and I had no sort of relationship with him but I adored my grandmother. She lived to see my two children as babies which was lovely although by then she was bedridden. A gentle, very caring and kind woman, missed even now.

My parents had me late in life and their parents had them late in life. I never knew one grandfather and have no memory of the other who died when I was a toddler. We used to visit my maternal grandmother regularly but I don’t remember her ever doing anything with me, possibly because of her age. She always gave me a toffee (just one!) and was very generous in that she always gave me some pennies from her very small pension. My paternal grandmother lived a long way away so I only saw her once or twice a year. She was always kind to me but I have few memories.

My Nan was in a nursing home, with Parkinson’s disease or similar, over 100 miles away. We visited her twice a year. Usually mum and my sister and I stayed with an aunt and went on the bus to see her. It took a lot of effort. Nan was generous and sent a huge box of goodies for Christmas and birthdays. She often sent us postcards, thanks to the help of the aunt. She died when I was eleven.
My dad’s parents also lived at a distance. We would go and stay once a year, and they came to us for Christmas on alternate years. It was a different world, but interesting. I can’t say we felt close to any of them.
We had moved away from all the relatives because of my dad’s work.

My Grandfather was a giant, I am sure of that and he used to get drunk and give me all his coins..........teaching me the evils of drink and the value of money at the same time. He had a huge garden and 100, ring tail pigeons that he would let fly.

He also had an enormous black dog that I was allowed to boss around and I slept under the table witht that dog whenever I was there. A lifetime's devotion to dogs began under that kitchen table.

He was terribly fierce and most suitors ran off when confronted by him opening the front door, one called Norman, left his scarf when he fled and my dad wore the foresaken scarf for years as a bit of a trophy.

He was married to little nannie, who told fortunes using playing cards, she'd have a glass of Guiness and a No 6 fag going and tell all the young women enquiring after future husbands 'I wouldn't have him if his a* hole was dripping in diamonds'...........especially when any of us asked, no one good enough for us.

She wore steel toe capped shoes for seeing muggers off and took us to the wrestling and bingo and to pay her funeral plan at the CoOp.

My other nannie, was a gentile French woman, who dressed beautifully, while living in a bombed out slum, full of rats and no bathroom. She loved a flutter on the horses and would wash sitting behind a clothes horse covered in sheets, making a screen so that people on the telly could not see her. When my cousin was on we both waved at him.

Her front door as always open and the local skin heads used to just walk in and she'd take their trousers up for them, as she loved to sew and also having had many sons of her own did not find hulking lads in the home at all alarming.

Her husband had died before I was born but I understand that he was fun and a wonderful artist, he painted a life size hunting scene around the boy' bedroom in one of the 2 rooms they had to live in (8kids) the fox's tail was disappearing out into the hall way. I do wish that I had met him.

Bless them all often in my thoughts, hope I am managing to be as colourful and loving as they were.

Didn't get chance to get to know my grandparents, especially my maternal ones as they died when I was very young. My paternal grandparents lived 3 doors down from us so got to know them a little better, I was 7 and 10 years old when they died, but there were no sleepovers. However I did go for dinner when it was washing day at home, gran used to make the most delicious corned beef hash and Irish stew!!!

What a lovely thread. I have read every post, and some of them really resonate.
Like many of you here, I too hope that our DGC remember us fondly when we are gone, just as I remember my own grandparents. Like some of you, we too have toys in our house for the entertainment of the DGC, but I still remember, sixty-odd years later, the contentment I had playing with my paternal grandmother's button box. I was her first grandchild and for some reason called her Bombo, I called my grandfather Gandy, and those names stuck. They were always known by everyone as Bombo and Gandy 'til the day they died.

I only had one living grandparent, my grampa , was born in his house , he was the one who started the Anniebach I have lived with from a tot. My grandmother ,his wife died the year before I was born, I was named for her and he had always used half her name so I became Annie Bach - little Annie, not so good when you have three sisters five foot tall and you are five foot seven ?

My grandfather used to ask us if we would like a slap on the kisser when we visited and thought it was hilarious. It felt like a slap in the face. To be fair they looked after a sister for a while, who loved them and were generous with the sweets to all.

My GP lived in the next road & our gardens backed on to each other so I had 2 houses & gardens to play in. If Mum was cross with me (often!!) I nipped over to Nanny & Grandad where I would get a warm welcome & a biscuit or sweetie. Yes they did spoil me but I adored them & they always had time for me if Mum was busy. I was only child so it was a very important relationship for me. They converted an old air raid shelter in their garden into a big shed & kitted it out with old furniture & all sorts of good things so my friends & I could use it as our club house- it was very popular in our area!! Grandad died when I was 7 but I still have the fondest memories of sitting on a stool he had made me while he was gardening & being taught all about plants & feeding his fish. I adored him.
My paternal GPs lived very close to the sea in Essex- we lived in Surrey -so we spent holidays there. I was very fond of GM but GD was a bit scarey & was not too keen on my playing round his prize flowers & fruit cages- they had about 1/2 acre land so it was like a playground to me.
When maternal GM got very old I spent a lot of time with her & she always came for dinner with DH & I every Sunday- my Mum had moved a long way away by then. She died just after our first son was born &I have one precious photo of her holding him,
I think relationships with GP are so important & I try my best to provide similar experiences for my 6 DGC although I do not live quite so close to them,

My dads parents were very strict ,and my nickname was vinegar as I was scared stiff of them both . My maternal grandparents were lovely ,caring and we loved them so much . Gran played skippy in the back lane with us until she was in her sixties , and staying with her was a joy,. I loved them so much ,and if my grandchildren regard me with as much affection , i'll be a happy gran .

My paternal grandmother died when I was 6 months old so I have no memories of her and my paternal grandfather died when I was 3 years old but I do have memories of sitting on his lap on the big chair in front of the coal fire on a Sunday morning, when he would let me play with his pocket watch on a chain and my dad gave me this watch many years later. My mum's parents were a big part of mine and my children's lives and we all have very happy memories of them both, playing with and spoiling us all, baking lots of lovely things and going to the bakery down the lane behind their house to get some fresh bread.

Sadly, I never had any grandmas & only one grandad alive who lived miles away and so I never really knew him.

My father's mother grew up in London and I remember her telling us about 'penny bazaars', shops when she grew up, where nothing cost more than a penny. Also, she was there for Queen Victoria's funeral and remembered it well. What a link with history! To be told in person about the crowds and the procession by someone who actually saw the occasion.

Paddyann... you sure were not related?! I only had one grandmother.. my mum’s mum and she lived with us after my granddad died. I was two when she moved in and it meant three of us kids in one bedroom me and two brothers! My eldest sis had to bunk with gran.then luckily elder sis married just as I hit puberty and I ‘moved’ in to nans bedroom.
!! Honestly people moan today if they haven’t a bedroom each. Never heard off in my council estate!! My gran was ok...she’d play quiet games with us ( board games) but no rough and tumble stuff. She’d read stories she taught me to read if cereal packets and sauce bottles...I remember that... there was no money for books so she’d take us and sign us up with library. We ran errands for her ( mostly sweets and hairnets)!!! She’d pack up a bag of sandwiches on school holiday mornings while parents at work and send us off with a warning not to come back till tea-time.She was a rock for us and never raised her voice let alone her hands ...and many times she would’ve been justified in clouting us. We loved her. Never met my fathers parents as he ran away from home at 14 and never had anything to do with them although he kept in touch with his six sisters!! Oh and nan taught us to play poker as well , top notch nan!!

My maternal Grandmother died when I was three, I dont remember her, my maternal Grandfather was strict but kind too, he helped me with piano lessons.
My Fathers side of the family were also strict, we went to visit them on Sundays for tea, I used to play with one Aunt there with all the shoes they had in the house we played shop for ages.Sometimes I would pick up their phone ( a luxury after the war) then the operator would ring and say " would you please take that child away from the phone" I had a happy childhood and was taught respect.