I love my grandson but!

Sounds like you had a fantastic day. Often wonder how we coped. No car, never mind two, no disposable nappies, automatic washing machines, microwaves, all night shopping, ready meals. And, how many of us indulged in a glass of wine at the end of the day to soothe the mind and body?

I had 4 too - my DS & DDIL left their 3 darlings with me last summer holidays- dropped them of & went back home ( overseas) for several weeks!!! I was nearly dead!!! Never again.

My GS live quite a way away from me,but we are having them to stay for 4 nights shortly and we are in our 70s we are taking them to a camp site so be plenty for them to do and wear them out ,and us as they like waking up really early in the mornings.

It's definitely different when they aren't your children and you are older. By the time I was 40 my DDs were 12 and 10, and were pretty easy. DD2 hadn't even had her twins by that age so much more taxing, and for us too, as oldies. Love them so much though.

Wow respect lincolnimp! Way past all the fun now its very sophisticated outing with the terrible teens.

I am on my way to ending 42 years of this. Oldest DD is 42, current Foster Child will be the last---of 110
We started Fostering as youngest DD went to school
Have loved almost every day with the children, though can't say the same for all SWs and birth parents

I love my gransons but for short periods........ they make you feel young for the first half hour!

Or dare I say it: time to start potty-training?

I know they say it should wait til children are three now, but honestly, with or without the hormone that controls bladder function, most of us managed very well long before we were three!

Is there room for me behind that sofa, too?

I think we just go on auto pilot when it’s our own ! I had 3 all under 5 and looking back it was hard work that was just worked thro methodically, and lots of walking to tire them all out eprsady for bedtime !

Oh those joyous days of having the GC. I was never really free of them plus working and looking after a sick husband. Looking back over the years I don't know how I did it and remained sane. However, those days are long gone and being a GGranny of 7 I sit back and let my D take over her granny duties-------like one night a while back when 6 of them had a bug ! Lovely.

In our 40's we realise we don't have the energy we did in our 20's...I'll never know how people cope who wait til they are in their mid fourties before becoming parents!!

It sounds like a lovely day to smile contentedly after and he will get older and less nappies in time. The early years are so precious!

I know my youngest is only 19 as she was a later baby after older siblings and I know if she has kids at all she may well he 30 plus which makes me then late 60s and I know I won’t be able or really willing to help out as much as I did with my grandson in the early days!

It’s definitely harder as you get older.

I could happily chill with God and a glass

My eldest has 3 dc and ive helped out until they started school and do the odd pick up and sleep over my middle dd is now married and getting ready to have kids im scared now ill be starting all over again ?

Yep God sounded somewhat accurate/appropriate to me too. Lovely.

Witzend The thought of God chilling on the sofa with a DVD really made me giggle!

My UK GK are 17 and 20, so too old for such shenanigans. My Aussie GD is 2, and I would love to be able to look after her for a day. I also know that as an arthritic 79 year-old, it would probably kill me!

I look back to the days when I had 5 children, spread over 16 years, and also fostered and child-minded for a lot of that time. We had no car, so I walked over a mile each way, twice a day, for many years with - usually - a pram, and a toddler sitting on the pram-seat. My DH worked 'continental shifts', so meal times were all over the place, and so were babies' feeds. I did all the gardening and baked several times a week. The amount of housework and washing involved was enormous, yet I seemed to sail through it all.

In retrospect I think, "How on earth did you do it?" I suppose the answer is that I was a lot younger and fitter then, but I still look back on my then-self with awe and admiration!

I just wish that I had a fraction of that energy today!

Gdd, not God!

My Gdcs are still only 2 and 3, just 15 months apart, and since Dd has to go away for work, sometimes for a week or more, we are called on to help out - son in law's own work commitments mean he can't be available every early morning, though in general he's brilliant at coping. They are mostly in nursery/pre-school but its the days when they aren't.

Much as we love them, it's often very tiring. I think it'd be different if dd had had her first when I was 57 instead of 67!

However it is easier now than a year or two ago when it was a case of two babies. They do play together now - usually quite nicely! - and don't need watching every minute.

What we've found brilliant lately is a session in the park playground - easy walking distance - followed by not-much-further, a very child friendly big Italian cafe - pizza and 'babycinos' plus lots of toys,

Younger Gds was nearly asleep when we arrived there last time, but perked up at once when he saw the toys - and then zonked for a nice long nap once we were home. And God then chilled on the sofa with a DVD. Peace!
We did all make some fairy cakes later, though.

I am very lucky in that dh is usually available to help out, specially with shoulder rides when out and one of them is getting tired and grumpy.

This week I will have had one or other of my local grandchildren every day, and I feel shattered! My grandson, 18 months, has a virus, which is making this usually sunny- natured little boy cranky and clingy. Yes, I think it’s an age thing- I had four under fives, and I don’t remember being this tired, and I had all the housework, cooking, washing etc. These days when I have the grandchildren I don’t do anything except play with them ,and when they are asleep I read and have a cuppa. It’s the only way I can cope! Oh, and last night I was so tired I had muesli and a glass of wine for dinner.

Aw Paddyann how loveky.

Yep 55 isn’t 22 agnurse

jamilia Yep thinking bigger nappies!

He’s just woke up after going down at 7 last night and not a peep all night.

I wonder if he was as knackered as me!

I agree with agnurse - when we had our kids, every day was like that so we just did it.

I'd also say that when we had little kids, we wouldn't have done all those things in one day . It would have been a special day to cram in all those entertaining activities. When mine were that age, we were at home most of the time, and a trip to the park was an adventure . So life was rather more leisurely !

Not saying you're old, by any means, but remember two things.

1. You were younger when you had your children. Again, not saying you're old, but even people who have children in their 40s find they have less energy than those who have children in their 20s.

2. That was your normal at the time. You didn't know any different. You did what you had to do. This isn't typical for you anymore, so I'm sure it feels different.

It does sound as if overall your GS had a did a lot of fun things

This makes me almost glad that I live 150 miles from my GC.

Paddyann, what wonderful gifts. Your family sounds similar to mine, how very lucky we are.
Yes, we forget that we are a good bit older now than when ours were small. I had 3 girls and have 2 DGS . Never mind all this gender neutral / fluid. Boys are very different.

Commiting bug! What's that?