I just feel life is too short,” she says

Canada Goose sale Should grandparents be given instructions Canada Goose sale

Or perhaps a more appropriate term would be an instruction canada goose uk shop manual on how to look after her granddaughter.

“I gave them a typed, single spaced, three page document that was, as I look back on it now, canada goose clearance sale embarrassingly detailed and patronising,” she said in a recent interview. “I even told them to wash their hands before preparing her food. I basically canadian goose jacket treated them like people who could not take Canada Goose Coats On Sale care of themselves, let alone a baby. Thank goodness they love me.”

canada goose coats So much has changed in parenting over the canada goose uk outlet past 40 years from sleep practices to feeding maybe it’s not surprising that some new parents do feel the need to leave some guidelines about how they do things when leaving their children with grandparents. canada goose coats

canada goose But while it’s easy to be clear with babysitters or childminders about how you want canada goose coats things to be done in your absence, it’s altogether a more delicate matter when it comes to grandparents. And the last thing you want to do is cheap Canada Goose cause offence. So just how can parents approach this topic in buy canada goose jacket cheap a canada goose sensitive way without causing a rift? canada goose

canada goose deals Psychotherapist Susi Lodola, who works with adults and teenagers, says because new parents are bombarded with so much information on how to rear their child, it can leave them feeling anxious and stressed that they’re not doing things Canada Goose Outlet right. canada goose deals

She says communicating clearly about how you’re doing things as a parent can make it easier for grandparents to understand.

Canada Goose online “If you’re leaving your child with your canada goose uk black friday parents you must have a trusting relationship with them or you wouldn’t leave the child. Leaving a list of things to canada goose outlet do is really over the top. If there’s something you want them to pay attention to, Canada Goose Jackets tell them and tell them why it’s important to keep the routine going,” says Lodola. Canada Goose online

“Everyone is trying their best. It comes down to communication. A little understanding goes a long way on both sides. Things have moved on, child psychology has moved on. Grandparents love to hear that stuff as well. If you explain it to them and tell them there’s different advice Canada Goose Online about things now, they will love to hear that. Give grandparents the opportunity to learn all these new things.”

Aileen Deegan, from New Ross in Wexford, is mum to Olivia (5) and nine month old baby Oscar, and says her own parents Aileen and Noel have a big role in her children’s lives, even though canada goose clearance they have differences about things like canada goose black friday sale correcting the children and reprimanding them.

“I’m the fussiest of my four siblings. My sisters would roll their eyes at me because I am finicky about things. I probably wrote down things for my mum too. I think she laughed at me,” says Aileen, who blogs as Olivia’s Mother.

“I think I would have written down things like feed times and what food to give and what not to give. Canada Goose online But I feel so lucky because I’m one of a few people who have my parents to mind their children when I went back to work.

Canada Goose Jackets “While we would have differences, Mam’s still the person I would ring for advice she’s my first port of call for an opinion. Even if I didn’t take her opinion, I would still Canada Goose Parka value it. Canada Goose Jackets

cheap Canada Goose “I think Mam has learned from her kids as well. She learns from us parenting our children. Even though she has her ways and they work, she’s learning new ways from uk canada goose outlet us too. It’s a constant learning curve.” cheap Canada Goose

canada goose store Aileen’s mother Aileen O’Neill (right) says she’s been minding her seven grandchildren for many years now and wouldn’t have it any other way. canada goose store

buy canada goose jacket “I would follow their requests but they just let me get on with it. They trust me you have to trust someone 150pc if you’re going to leave your child with them. I find every single child is different they have different ways. Mine trust me so much; it’s all about the trust between us,” she says. buy canada goose jacket

Canada Goose Outlet Frances (not her real name), a grandmother to three children aged between 10 and 14, says while she may not have been given written instructions, her daughter gave her very detailed verbal instructions about how to mind her children. Canada Goose Outlet

buy canada goose jacket cheap Frances says her relationship Canada Goose sale with her daughter has become strained at times and it hasn’t become easier as the children have grown older and have begun to test the boundaries with her. buy canada goose jacket cheap

“At times I’m walking a cheap canada goose uk delicate line. I was crying here the other night because I corrected the eldest child. I was perceived to have been incorrect. I had to put it to my daughter that if they are in my house, I will be strict,” says Frances.

canadian goose jacket “I feel hurt by it and if words are exchanged between us and canadagooseoutlete the children hear, it adds fuel to the fire. If people are honest it’s a common part of the story. I played a big part in my grandchildren’s lives because my daughter was a single mother. I still do. I always end up apologising even though I feel I shouldn’t be because it opens the door to conversation. I just feel life is too short,” she says. canadian goose jacket

Canada Goose Parka Child psychologist Sarah O’Doherty says while differences of opinion between parents and grandparents can be tricky, it’s actually good for a child to have different experiences. “This thing that you have to have the same rules all the time it’s good for a child to know there are different rules,” she says. Canada Goose Parka

canada goose clearance sale “You do have to be explicit about things that are bad for the child. With anything that’s contentious, pick a time that’s calm when you’re not angry and talk things through. Be open and accept that your children are going to do different things at their grandparents and that’s okay. canada goose clearance sale

canada goose coats on sale “As a parent, you have to accept they are entitled to that relationship with their grandparents. That relationship may be completely different to the one you have uk canada goose with them. For example, if you don’t get on with your canada goose store mother in law, that doesn’t mean your child isn’t going to have a good relationship with her,” canada goose coats on sale she says. canada goose coats on sale

canada goose black friday sale Ann Woodlock (79) from Dublin’s Drimnagh, who has reared five children and has six grandchildren, says her kids would never dream of telling her how to do things when it comes to their children. She says they would think it’s a bit like “telling a hen how to lay eggs”. canada goose black friday sale

However, she says she knows some grandparents who are afraid to offer their grandchildren a biscuit or correct a child for being bold because it goes against modern parenting norms.

canada goose clearance Ann says she sees friends her own age who can’t make the time to meet up because they are so busy minding their grandchildren. “I do think grandparents take on too much they can’t say no. Grandparents need to be there for their grandchildren but not take them on all the time. I don’t think that’s fair,” says Ann. canada goose clearance

So the next time the kids come home from their grandparents still high on a sugar rush and refusing to eat dinner because “it’s not how Granny makes it” perhaps canada goose factory sale we should remember that, for those few hours, it’s buy canada goose jacket Granny’s rules and not ours.


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