We Love Grandma!

I read this article today http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tina-plantamura/to-my-mother-in-law-i-was-wrong_b_6611276.html and couldn't agree more!!  (It's worth the read, but prepare for tears)

My mom is a "spoil the grandkids" kind of Grandma.  I know some people disagree with spoiling grandkids, and for awhile I was cautious about it, but now I see it as a way of showing immense love for them.  If Grandma wants nothing more than to spend her time and money on the grandchildren, who am I to ruin her happiness. 

I've said all of this before, but my mom is one amazing Grandma!  She puts the grandkids above everything else and loves to make them happy.  The other day we were there and Grandma didn't have donuts and lemonade like she usually does, so when Rylee asked for it Grandma found a way to deliver (literally...she called Great Grandma to bring some over...thanks GG!).  That may have been a little over the top, but she knew it would make Rylee happy and she was content to make that phone call for her.  I'm sure Great Grandma loved being able to make Rylee's day as well.

I love knowing that we can show up at Grandma's house with nothing but the clothes on our back and some diapers for Wyatt and she will have everything else we need.  Normally I bring drinks in the car, but when we are going to Grandma's Rylee always tells me, "I will just wait until I get to Grandma's and use her Minnie Mouse cup."  My mom only has 4 grandkids, making it easy for her to cater to each of their likes.  She has the types of cups that each grandkid likes, plates and utensils they like, and usually snacks and drinks that they each prefer.  Some might think this is ridiculous, but it's these little things that make the kids so excited to go to Grandma's.  My kids know they will have everything they need and be taken care of very well.  This is also true of my aunt's house (another favorite place of my kiddos)...caters to the adorable mini humans! 

Almost daily Ry asks to go to Grandma's.  When I ask her why she likes Grandma's house so much she always says, "Because Grandma and Katee (the dog) are there."  She doesn't say anything about Grandma buying her stuff or that Grandma might take her somewhere fun....she just knows that Grandma will give her her undivided attention and make her feel like the most special girl in the world.  If Rylee wants to have a slumber party on the small living room floor....Grandma sleeps on the floor with her.  My niece also loves that Grandma plays with her and gives her so much attention.

As the article I referenced mentions, these are the types of grandparents who also know the ins and outs of their grandchildren.  This is true of my mom.  She knows my kids' temperments, what's going to make them upset, what their interests are at the moment, where they are developmentally, where their birthmarks are, etc.  Same for my niece and nephew. Personally, I like having people besides my husband and I knowing my kids so intimately.  It makes me so much more comfortable to leave my kids with them and it's wonderful to have people love them as much as my husband and I do.  She also never lets too much time go by without seeing them....like, she can't go 10 days without seeing the kids and she sometimes calls JUST to talk to the kids...good thing the feeling is mutual for Rylee!  Sometimes Mom has all 4 kids at once (we try not to leave her alone with all of them), but she handles them very well...with a long nap afterwards ;)  1 kid or 4...there's no place else she'd rather be. 

Some people were just made to be Grandparents...to adore little people.  I knew my mom was one of these types when she started telling me she wanted to be a Grandma shortly after I graduated from college.  She would always say, "I don't care if you're married, I just want grandkids."  And it isn't just her grandkids that adore her.  Mom has several little friends who like to hang out with her and invite her to their birthday parties.  And when we go somewhere in public, little kids always seem to find her. 

I had a grandmother similar to my mom.  It was obvious that no one was as important in her life as her grandkids.  My brother and I were the only grandkids, so we were extra spoiled loved :)  Even though I can probably list a lot of things my Grandma bought me or did with me, the excitement that those things brought me don't even compare to the joy I had just being around her.  We had a special relationship and I named my daughter after her.  I see this same relationship between my daughter and my mom.  I think it's so important for a child to have a super close relationship with someone in addition to their parents, and there just isn't anything as cute as a child/grandparent relationship...in my opinion :) 


Rylee wanted a picture with her Grandma

Grandma (Fairy Godmother) trick-or-treating with the kids.

Grandma's birthday party!