General Chat

Have had our step grandson from Sunday evening till daughter picked him up last early evening.

Bless him he has learning difficulties .at aged 13 he has a mental age of about 5/6. Only started talking in the last 18 months and is difficult sometimes to understand and still soils himself.

Has autistic spectrum too so things have to be done in order and not to spring things on him

He can spell but cant write but is a whizz on the PC so i left him to it !! cost me LOADS of paper and printing ink but he was happy.

Every so often got a call of Nanny come up here cos he locked things up but we sorted it out.

But I am knackered now . wasnt able to do any housework so the house is a tip but today too hot to attempt any work

To pot with housework Shirley grandchildren are much more important (XX)

It is good that he will settle with you Shirley and it must do his Mum good to have a break.

How often I have wished for the stamina I had 30 years ago to go with the life experience I have now!! :-D

My granddaughter went home last night after arriving at 6am Tuesday morning. Yep, house a tip lol, when she is here I only do essentials like washing up and cooking.

Like you am knackered today and way too hot to work, so recuperating (and anyway, it's far more important to meet a friend for coffee than to fret about the house ;-))

I love the fact that I now have the luxury of time, and am sure your daughter appreciates the time and attention you are able to give to her step son.

Love that at this age we know not to take it too seriously as well :-)

You must be a great help to your daughter and as we all say what's housework it will be there long after we've gone ;-) Hope you relaxed today hope the weather was nice for you it's been too hot here again!

Thanks all

We are only too conscious I was a working mum too and both mums stepped in with childcare in the hollies.

I always felt she was losing out but NO she has told me she loved going to both nans for her holidays and never felt fobbed off.

For the summer hols she spent two weeks at each nans and then we had two weeks hols and we always went away. spent many good holidays in Wales/Cornwall/ Scotland on our trusty motorbike and sidecar.

Was saying to OH I know how difficult it is when you are a working mum.

Still knackered though ;-)

You Grandmas are creating wonderful memories for your grandchildren, far more important than housework and such, it will keep, kids won't, they grow up so fast and what you do with them at any time helps make them into great adults even if they have problems like your step grandson, Shirley. They will always remember the things you did with them and what you taught them about life.

I know by the time I have grandchildren of my own I won't have the stamina to do much with them, am really flagging this week looking after myself and o.h. When I see the 'step' grandchildren they tire me and it's usually only for a short time every few months.

Well done to all Grandparents who help their families and share the job of caring for the youngsters.

Lizx

I think we were lucky to be fairly young when daughters boys were young. We used to have all three for a week in the summer holidays or used to go down to theirs for long weekends so they could get away, got tired then (about 12 years ago so 60ish but would find it really tiring now. We have also looked after son's two for five or six days but they were at school at the time so not quite so tiring.

My Mum was the same age as I am now, 66, when my brother and I presented her with two grandsons within a month, her first and only grandchildren. She wasn't very confident babysitting when they were babies but once they became toddlers who could make cakes with her and such, and Granddad could read to them, they did have the boys separately on occasions. After my Dad died when my son was 7, Mum had my lad to stay overnight sometimes as well which was fun for them both. They were never able to take them out tho, they had no car and Mum was wary of travelling far with them altho sometimes I would meet her in the city centre when she had finished her shopping, ( it was within walking distance of my house) and she would take my son back to hers on the bus. I would drive or walk up later with the dog to fetch him back or he would stay over if it was a weekend or school holiday.
He does have some nice memories of those times and lots of photos too.

Lizx

Ah yes stamina that is what I also need. Daughters gone to friends wedding which was a two day event. so have had 4, 8 and 14yr old for 3 days, oh and son's dogs which was meant to be for a week but has turned into 4 months.

I had 3 children and worked part time never remember it being this hard, but then my children did what they were told first time, ate what they were given, this generation seem to do as they please.

Carol