Grandparent Daycare – your rules or their rules?

In–laws, Out–laws, Grandmother, Granny, Grandma, Grandfather, Granddad, Grandpa, Papa, Pops, Nina, Nanny – we all have different names for our relatives and they all like to call themselves by different names but they all have 1 thing in common – they all love our children – their grandchildren.

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​When you hand your little angels over do you run for the high road or give your parents a list of do's and dont's for the day? Can you really expect your parents to carry out your child care rules when you are skipping out the door thinking about how much you are saving?

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There are ‘new parenting techniques’, which of course no one else has developed in the history of parenting or understands that are usually handed to the grandparents in a laminated folder that can be wiped clean.

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The ‘new’ parenting rules
1. No chocolate
2. No dress up
3. No baking
4. No sugar
5. No sand play
6. Only organic food
7. Level off the formulae scoop with a knife
8. Don’t go outside
9. Ensure sleep takes place from 1030 – 1110 and not a minute longer
10. Have some craft time

11. Let him express himself
12. Read him a story
13. Change his nappy every 45 mins – even if not wet
14. Have15 mins of sun in factor 50+
15. Everything you need is in the nappy bag
16. Call if an emergency

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Your parents or in/outlaws have been around a while and they raised you so being handed a laminated folder on how to care for their grandchildren often goes down like a fart in a wetsuit.

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​The ‘grand’ parenting rules

1. Chocolate – of course have the whole bar
2. Dress up in what ever you want
3. Bake what you want
4. Sugar – go for your life
5. Organic – sure it is!
6. Level off what formulae – he will be on hot dinners before I have finished
7. Get outside and play while I clean
8. Great he’s asleep
9. Play with this box - outside
10. Read him a story about tidying up the mess he has made

11. Express himself? What a load of boll**cks! 
12.Change his nappy when he needs it changed
13. Don’t leave bloody fingerprints on my windows!
14. Get some sun – its good for you – stop you looking so pasty
15. What bag?
16. Call – do you think I am stupid?
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I called my mum up when she was looking after my son once and was met with an icy cold – what do you want? I had enraged the Wrath of Mumra for assuming that something might be wrong and clearly underestimating her ability as a mother.
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It’s a fine line fraught with many emotions usually mixed up by the adults who disagree with this and that but at the end of the day if your kids are being looked after by your parents, loved, encouraged and yes probably spoilt rotten its probably going to be their rules that win - on those days at least.





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