Where would we be without grandparents?

Grandparents are an important part of every family. The role they play in the lives of our children is just as important as the role they played in our very own childhoods.

Quite often the benefit of having ‘hands-on’ grandparents is over looked, but if we were to ask ourselves the question, ‘Where would be without our grandparents?’ I bet we’d all be worse off than where we with them.

When I was growing up my sister and I would see our grandparents at various intervals throughout the year. My mums parents would come to visit us on a regular basis. Usually every weekend, or at the very least every other weekend.

They’d take my sister and I to the park or swimming, and I have wonderful memories of them both. In the summer they’d come over and we’d have a BBQ in our garden. My sister and I would play games with them and ride our bikes around them!

My dad’s parents visited less often, but that doesn’t make their part in our lives any less then those of my mums parents. They’d usually visit on special occasions such as Christmases and birthdays, and occasionally in between these special events too.

I always looked forward to them visiting, probably more so because we didn’t see them as often as my mums parents.

Quite often my grandparents would look after my sister and I. My parents won a holiday to Antigua one year so my dads parents looked after me and my sister. They’d take us to school, make sure we were fed and well dressed. I imagine the cost of childcare if my grandparents hadn’t been there would have added up quite a bit.

It wasn’t just when my parents went on holiday that our grandparents would look after us. If my mum or dad had to work late, they’d step in too.

Now that I’m a mum I have to say that I absolutely love the relationship my girls have with their Nanna, my mother-in-law. Quite often I take sneaky pictures of them all when they’re playing a game or having a chat about what they can see out in the garden!

Their Nanna comes to visit most Sundays. We’ll all sit around the table and enjoy a cooked dinner together, which is then usually followed up with some board games or drawing. Watching my mother-in-law colouring in a spider man picture was a particular highlight for me! She even took it home to put on her fridge!

In writing this post, I’m curious to know what part your parents of grandparents play your life and the lives of your children? Where would you be without them?