Big Tabs
looking backwards, going forwards
Aye. Two of them. One of each. So the potential is there. I think it's more the thought of going back to serious levels of child-care that scares me, rather than being a grandparent. I found it quite hard, when my own kids were small, to muster the energy needed to be a good (enough) parent.
I certainly wouldn’t want to care for the grandkids in any regular childcare way were my children rely on my input for them to work.
We see the grandchildren mostly through desire, rather than as part of a regular childcare/babysitting arrangement.
The exception is occasionally caring for our youngest Grandson who had cerebral palsy, his parents need some respite and the boy needs a high level of care.
What I do experience though is a very close love for the G-Kids. They evoke feelings that I was surprised by, and are a joy to be near.
We are glad that we live close enough to share their early lives, although G-Kid Number 4 is due very soon, and they live 200 miles away.
It is interesting to reflect on my own upbringing, with my Grandparents close by. My Grandmothers were the caring women of their brood, whereas my Grandfathers were surly, monosyllabic and had little time for their Grandchildren.