Marc's mother and stepfather moved to Salt Lake from Oregon about 3 years ago and we have so enjoyed having them live closer. I have such very fond memories of my grandparents and cherish all the time I have been able to spend with them. (They are still some of my favorite people to spend time with!) There is just something so special about that grandparent/grandchild bond, and I think my children are so fortunate to be able to see at least one set of grandparents frequently.Bob & Mim started a tradition of grandparent dates. Once a month or so, they take Max & Lucas out on a date -- sometimes just the two of them, and often with their cousins Nicole & Kristen. Quite often, they even get to sleep over at Grandma & Grandpa's condo in SLC.
My boys look forward to these dates and always have such a wonderful time. Grandma & Grandpa definitely spoil them by getting all their favorite foods, letting them stay up late, and taking them on expeditions to museums, the planetarium, and the like.
Bob & Mim extended an invitation for a grandparent date for today since the boys don't have school. I thought maybe the boys would want to just hang around at home or play with friends, but no, they definitely wanted to go on a date with their grandparents. I think this an impressive tribute, that they would rather spend their time off hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa. Today they went out to lunch and bowling, even though it's super-cold today!
I'm so grateful that my children's grandparents enjoy spending time with them and that they can foster this special relationship by spending time and creating wonderful memories together.
13 comments:
ok so jill has inspired me to comment when i visit...what a wonderful time for your children and your parents. grandparents have such a special part to play! my children spend a lot of time with my parents and it is a relationship to cherish.
They are the best grandparents ever! They totally embody what a grandparent should be. Your kids are so blessed to have them in their lives, and I'm sure they will treasure those memories as they grow up.
How sweet! I love where we live, but my one regret is that we live a day's drive away from both of our parents. I feel bad that my kids miss out on that kind of every day relationship with them. My parents do a good job of keeping close over the miles, so I can't complain too much, but I do wish we all lived in the same area.
Ditto to your last paragraph- couldn't have said it better. This is such a sweet post and I love the idea of grandparent dates.
Do you think they could write a form letter to send out the the rest of the grandparents!?
I love this relationship too. Both of your mom's are great at it. For our kids is it mostly grandmas (the gpas are gone now) but they are wonderful. It makes me sad that my mom is so far away but I do love the time Milo's mom spends with them.
Some of my favorite people are my grandparents too. It is such a gift for kids to grow up close to them (and a gift to you for them to have those dates too!)
It makes me so sad when my youngest brothers and sisters don't know anything about our grandparents and I DON'T want that to happen to my kids! Luckily, though they are not close, my kids adore and look forward to any time spent with their grandparents! LOVE the idea of Grandparent Dates and LOVE hearing about your Grandma too!
That's awesome they value having a relationship enough with your kids to do this. You kids are so blessed to have them. It makes me wish I had known mine better.
I used to have grandparent dates as a child, too! They remain some of my fondest childhood memories. My grandparents lived across the street from me (so lucky!) and often our dates would include going to McDonald's for a "sandwich" (Grandma used to say that for 'hamburger'") and a "picture show". Oh, such sweet memories. Even now I tear up when I think of those happy times, out on the town, with my dear grandparents. Yes, your boys are so fortunate to be creating these special memories.
What a wonderful tradition. Your kids are very lucky to live so close to grandparents, especially grandparents like Bob and Mim.
That's so cool. I too, think the grandparent/grandparent child is very important. I never lived so close to my grandparents that I got to see them on a regular basis. Actually, that's not true. I live within an hour of my grandparents nearly my whole life. I didn't change it because I think the fact that I didn't immediately remember that we were the closest grandkids to them really says something. My grandparents never took the time to be with their grandkids individually. We always had to be lumped together--with our siblings and with the other cousins. Now I feel a little closr to them,but not much. This isn't to say that my grandparents aren't good people--they are. They just aren't very good at individual time.
What a fun tradition for all sides, the grandparents, the parents and the grandkids. Such a nice way to build memories.
Post a Comment