Sibling rivalry – does it ever stop? I was the oldest of five children, most of us less than two years apart. I don’t remember always fighting with my younger sister when I was a pre-schooler. But maybe I better ask my mother first before I get too proud of my behaviour as a child.
Anyway, Grandboy I watch during the day is five now and Grandbaby Girl is over a year old. I know he loves her to pieces, but he is so jealous it’s driving me round the bend. (Although if you ask my kids, I past that bend a while ago.) Whatever toy she has, he wants it. If she wants a hug, so does he – that part I don’t mind. He’s constantly upset that she touches his things, or follows him, or gets more attention than he does.
As you can probably tell, this supergramma is losing her powers pretty quick. Part-time day care at a nearby center is starting to look very tempting. I think watching them two or three days a week instead of five will be best for all of us. Then I have time to do my own things and it gives me a chance to miss them.
I want to enjoy them and spoil them, not spend my time sounding like a grouchy old bear who woke up while it was still winter.
Am I wrong?
Carol – It’s such an important issue you bring up: Where is the border between helping out and overboard? I thought we’d somehow get a bonus for our experience as we ‘parent-again’ but the grandkids sibling rivalry eats at my nerve endings at the same pace now…. or is it faster?
Hurray for you for recognizing the trend and thinking of ways to keep the sweetness in. You’ve already made me think more about drawing a sanity line, instead of a ‘fire line’ 🙂
Ronda, I feel torn because I want to help my kids financially and I know day care is a lot more expensive, but I’m at the point I’d rather pay for it myself than have my relationship with the grandkids affected. No one told me that grandparenting would be hard on the heart-strings 🙁