What I'm about to write may be blasphemous to some…
Grandparents say they have earned their right to spoil their grandchildren because they were never able to do the same for their children. Now, I'm not saying that all grandparents spoil their grandchildren (or that I don't appreciate what my parents and in-laws do for my children), but what if we tried something new? What if grandparents gave their children (who are now parents) the joy that they didn't have when they themselves were parents?
It sounds confusing, but here is an example. Grandpa, instead of insisting on buying the new bike for Billy, says, "I'll pay for the next three months of piano lessons so Dad can use that money to take Billy out and get a new bike." Or Grandma, instead of taking a granddaughter out for a special date, offers, "Let me watch the other children so Mom can take Suzy out for ice cream."
Grandparents don't need to be self-sacrificing ALL the time, but imagine how much joy could be given in a gift like this, especially for parents who wish they could buy a new bike for their children, or wish they had more special one-on-one times with their child. These are parents who work hard, but sometimes worry if their children will have more fun memories with grandparents, and can't help but feel a little jealous; parents who want to give their children everything, but oftentimes have to make the wiser decision; young parents very similar to young parents thirty years ago, wishing that their many 'no's could sometimes become a 'yes'.
This was just a thought, something I'm tucking away for later, when I'm a grandmother...
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