Grandparents & Your Toddler

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

21 Aug 2006 05:30 AM

Grandparents are a vital part of your toddler's existence. My family has a saying - our family belongs to our kids - not the other way around. Your toddler will benefit from the relationships with the extended family in a multitude of ways. Of course, you as the parents, are the final arbiters of who is and isn't safe to be around your toddler.

Visits & More

If your toddler's grandparents are not local, then it's important to plan two or three trips per year, every year. Whether the grandparents come to visit you or you go to visit them. We experienced this in the first several years of my daughter's life.

We lived in Virginia, the grandparents on all sides lived in Texas, Oregon and California. My husband's mother came to visit us as often as her schedule and finances allowed, especially during the first couples of years. Luckily, she utilized NetSavers and miles to keep her costs down. We came to visit down to Texas to see her and my mother two times a year as well.

Our daughter benefited from knowing her grandparents in that she developed strong emotional bonds to them. She enjoyed their visits for the quality time it gave her as well as the special attention. We as parents enjoyed those visits because not living near extended family, it also gave us a little break and time not only with our family, but with each other.

When Visits Aren't An Option

Sometimes visits are hard to manage due to financial viability or other issues. In those cases, it's important to use things like the telephone, tape recorders, video recorders and photographs to help foster the relationship between your toddler and their extended family.

This provides both the grandparents and your toddler with sights and sounds to keep their familiarity with each other alive. One of my daughter's grandparents cannot visit her that often and of late, we've not been able to visit her. Photographs and phone calls between the two keeps their relationship alive in real time - she loves to send her grandmother cards, pictures, drawings and more.

Do you live close to your toddler's grandparents or do you have to visit?

Related Articles:

What is a Brag Book?

Grandparents Parenting

Grandparents & Baby

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Libby Pelham (12876) 21 Aug 2006 06:52 AM

I hate that we don't live closer to either set of my son's grandparents. I grew up with both sets of grandparents close by most of the time and loved it.

Brandie (1720) 21 Aug 2006 07:53 AM

We live close to one set (minutes away) and hardly see them @@ It is sad ... my oldest asks why :-( How do you tell them gently grandma and grandpa are apparently too busy to see her? Other set is across the US, but we both try very hard to travel to each other as often as possible. Some years, that can mean 3 visits, and other years it means we're lucky to get in one. But we do make the most of the time togehter, coupled with frequent calls and pictures, etc. The other set is within an hour and we spend a lot of time with them as well! My kids are also lucky in that they have relationships with great grandparents too! I definitely think the relationships with grandparents and great grandparents is so special. And I love that my kids do have that with most of them!

Heather Long (16954) 21 Aug 2006 09:35 AM

We lived with my maternal grandmother most of my growing up life. I can't imagine my world without her in it. She was very much another parent to me. Those relationships are very important to me and I want to make sure that my daughter is given every opportunity. My mom and I have even got closer because of the relationship she shares with my daughter.