Do you kids have a relationship with their grandparents

**Michelle** · 01-23-2006, 04:35 PM

My kids have a great relationship with Dave's father. He is really good to them and loves to spend time with them. We see him and his fiancee ALL the time (when they're in NH and not in FL for the winter). Dave's mother would love to be closer to them, but we tend to keep her at arm's length because she can get really hurtful with her own kids, let alone with her grandkids. She doesn't do it intentionally, but she's bi-polar, doesn't take her meds and causes all sorts of stress.

My parents live 400+ miles away and see the girls a couple of times a year. They're not very close to them, but that's partly my issue because they hurt me so often, that I tend to "protect" my kids from them.

**Mamaw** · 01-23-2006, 06:30 PM

My children had a very close relationship with both sets of Grandparents when they were little. As they grew older and moved out of state it has fizzled off some. The love is there but the contact is not. Its hard to stay close when you don't spend time together.

**AmyBoz** · 01-23-2006, 08:30 PM

Yep. My parents and Rob's dad each live approximately 3 minutes away from us. We see Rob's dad, brothers and their families, and sister and her family every single Sunday at my father-in-laws house for bagels after church. We see my parents about once every two weeks...they just have different schedules than we do.

**momof42003** · 01-24-2006, 12:10 AM

YES, YES, AND YES...

My mom passed away when the kids were 4,2, and one month... So she was a great grandma for the first years of my two older kids lives.... My dad died two and a half years ago and DH stepdad died last August... He and DH dad were THE GRANDPA'S of the year every year... DS Jared loved his grandpas to death.. It was very hard when they both died... DH real dad lives in Lousianna, and the kids have seen him only twice... But Grandma is an awesome grandma and sees them every chance she gets... They usually spend the summer with her, especially since she lives at the coast... The kids have one set of great grandparents who they are also adored by... My grandma is a little on the senility side of life right now, but loves the kids no matter what.. My step grandmother has done a lot for the kids and for us.. She is one special lady too...

**patra** · 01-24-2006, 02:46 PM

We live with my parents so my daughter is very close to them;we see my husbands parents at least once a week so she is close to them as well.Family is very important to both my husband and myself so we make and effort to keep the ties close.

Patty

**Renee-2kids** · 01-24-2006, 04:06 PM

Originally posted by Michelle
Dave's mother would love to be closer to them, but we tend to keep her at arm's length because she can get really hurtful with her own kids, let alone with her grandkids.

That is my MIL too.
They are close to my parents who live 5 hours away and visit every other month. FIL and SMIL don't visit as often, but they are good grandparents too.

**missmollymayhem** · 01-26-2006, 09:23 AM

My DD is very close to her grandparents on my side of the family. Grandma and Grandpa are both remarried, so that's 2 sets and on her dad's parents (also both remarried) not so much. His mom had a drug and alcohol problem for most of DD's life, and although we all live in the same town She hasn't been a part of our lives. His dad and step mom live 9 hours away, so DD sees them 1-2 times per year.

**krisathome** · 01-27-2006, 11:32 PM

This is a very sore subject for us. My grandparents were wonderful, my grandfather has been gone for 12 years now. He was more like my dad than my father. He never got to meet my 2 youngest dks.

My granny lives a few blocks from us and we try to spend time with her. She loves my dks.

Their dd-my mother is one of the most selfish people I know. She makes all these gandious promises to my dks and never follows through. She has no time to even come see them and she only lives 12 miles from our house. We only see her on holidays and birthdays.

Andrew is graduating next year and she and my dad have no idea who he is. Mom plays favorites. She was a preschool teacher until last year yet she doesn't have any compassion or patience for my high needs youngest ds.

My dh's folks are just plan sick and dysfunctional and I don't want my kids anywhere near them. Drugs, alcohol, sexual abuse, and anything else you can think of. Nope, I don't think so.

My dh and I talk about our lack of good grandparents and it makes us sad. We see all these other kids having fun and enjoying good relationships with their grandparents and it just makes us....sad and hurt. And we both can't wait to be grandparents because we are so looking forward to loving our grandkids.

**leeleeaub** · 02-03-2006, 09:28 AM

My kids are grown 23 and 25 but yes, they have a relationship with both sets of grandparents. They live really close to both sets. Way closer now than they live to me and they have a lot of contact with them.

**HOOAH2003** · 02-06-2006, 02:08 PM

I would love for my daughter to know her grandparents but right now its hard since we live overseas. My mom tries and talks to kaya and such on the phone.

**pita1213** · 02-06-2006, 05:10 PM

my folks and dh's mom and stepdad all have good relationships with dks. mil and sfil live 15 minutes away and my folks live 30 minutes away so we see each other quite often. my sister is also close to dks. we don't see my sils (2 of them) that often, but that is ok with me. they tend to be rather selfish and dn't think things through. not to mention moody, but that's a whole toher thread.

they aren't really close to their great grandparents but that is a matter of geography. my grandparents live in PA and dh's grandmother lives in ME. we send cards and pictures and they send cards as well so tehre is contact, just not many visits.
the mother and sister of dh's first stepdad haven't bothered to speak to us in about a year because of my bil, but again that's a whole other issue. didn't even get a christmas card from them this year.