Grandparents

Halloween 2009 - The Addams Family

One of the best things about being out in BC this summer, has been that my kids have had the opportunity to get to know their Yanos grandparents better. We live in the same town as my parents, so my kids have grown up with them, and all of them have great relationships with my parents. They have been to my kids dance recitals, soccer games, skating competitions and school functions. My parents know my kids individually and have different relationships with each kid. It's been great having them around while our kids are growing up.
My in-laws haven't had that same opportunity because they have always lived quite a distance away, and they don't come to visit very often. When they do come, it's always for a quick visit as they are on their way somewhere else, or coming from somewhere else. This fact has always made me a little sad. Grandparents are such an important part of a child's life. I grew up with both sets of grandparents close by and those relationships meant the world to me. I was especially close to my Mom's Dad. He always made me feel like the most important person in the world. I was never too big to sit on his lap, he was never too busy for me, and he never told me that I was too loud. Our birthdays were just one day apart and we celebrated them together a few times. He passed away when I was eleven years old, and I still think about him all the time. That is the kind of relationship I want my kids to have with their grandparents. I want them to remember things about them. Not just stories they were told, or things from photographs, I want them to have little things in life that bring to remembrance occasions with their grandparents. Whenever I clean a bathroom, I think of my Grandma Weiss. I use her recipe for white bread, banana bread, rhubarb brown betty and roasts, among other things. I can't play a game of BINGO without thinking of all the games that my Grandma Schindler played with us.

Grandpa Yanos, coming to pick up the older three for a couple of days

So when we were given the opportunity to be in an office right by my in-laws, we jumped at the opportunity. I was so excited to have my kids live close enough to their other grandparents that we could have them over for dinner, meet them for a wiener roast, go to the lake together and really just get to know them. The summer has been great, the kids have all had one on one time with their grandparents (well, not Heather because she's been working) and we have been able to spend a lot of time with them talking, playing games and going for walks. I hope that my kids will always remember the time that they have had this summer getting to know their grandparents, and I hope this is the basis for relationships that will continue to grow. I'm glad that my in-laws have been willing to take the time to be with their grandkids, and hope that they will feel more comfortable coming for longer visits and spending more time with all of us. My Father in law came to pick up Heather, Peter and Natasha today. He wants them to come visit for a couple of days before we go home. It's great timing for me as well, because I can get my packing all finished while they are gone, having fun. I had to smile today when I saw him, he's wearing the Grandpa shirt that we made him for Father's Day. He really is a fantastic grandpa to our kids, and they love him more every time they are with him.