Some of you may have spent every day or every weekend with a grandparent (or grandparents), others may have seen them a couple of times a year for a holiday gathering, and others may have never known their grandparents.
It’s wonderful to hear stories of children spending time with their grandparents, and it’s just as wonderful to hear adults reminisce on the days when they cherished time with theirs.
What about you? Did your grandparents play a large role in your life, or not so much? Please tell us below, and leave a comment too, if you’d like.
The song” the cat’s in the Cradle” influenced me on being in my childrens lives and my grandchildrens lives whenever possible.
I don`t think Harry understood at the time how the words of his song were going to change the way people think about their kids.
I think he knew exactly! Most song writers write the lyrics first, then compose the music. He was a terrific story teller.
This song always makes me sad.
We lived too far from my paternal grandparents to see them but once a year. My maternal grandmother died when my mom was 6, her father we saw every few months.
For some reason, and I was too young to remember why, we very seldom saw or socialized with our grandparents. We were mostly ignored by them too. I remember talking to my grandmother on dad’s side once in my early years. My grandmother on mom’s side passed years before I was born. I remember being to Grandpa’s home maybe once or twice..
My Maternal Grandparents had 12 children. As a result, my brothers and I were part of a large herd of grandchildren. My father was in Air Force, so we never lived near them. We visited every August from 1947 to 1953. Last time I saw either of them was 1957.
Wish I knew more about their early life. Both immigrated in the early1900’s from Eastern Europe.
My Father’s family was destroyed by the depression. I know nothing about them.
Lucky kids who have and know their grandparents. It’s all down to family.
I was lucky. From age 5 to 12 I spent every summer on the lake with my maternal grandparents because my parents worked. What a life of fun. We lived in a duplex next door to my paternal grandparents until I was 10 so I saw them daily during those years. I was very close to all my grandparents. Unfortunately I live 950 miles from my grandchildren so I’ll never have the same kind of relationship with them as I was lucky to have.
I was blessed to know both sets of grandparents into their 80’s. They all influenced my life, even though most of my time was spent with my dad’s parents, since we lived in the same town. I spent alot of time with them through my early teens until we moved to a neighboring town. They were all wonderful people setting examples of hard work and how you should treat others kindly.
My grandparents spoke a different language I did not speak. So it was hard to get to close
“One or more”….my maternal parents died, three days apart, when my mom was young. My paternal grandfather was in no ones life. He left the family when his kids were young.
my paternal grandma passed when I was 8 but those eight years were filled with *her*. I’ll never forget her.
Seeing as my father was killed when I was 5, I had 3 bothers. My mother moved from Chicago to Kalamazoo, went to college to become a teacher. My grandparents where a big part of our lives as we lived next door. I guess that is why I find it hard to believe people can not improve their lot in life. If my mother with 4 boys can, got to college and raise us to not be a drain on society: why do we get this give me society.
Every Sunday we would go to my maternal grandparents home for dinner. We stop at the horse farm and feed the horses carrots or apples. The horse farm is now a shopping mall. My paternal grandmother lived with us. My paternal grandfather left my Dad’s family when my Dad was young so never met him or knew him. My maternal grandfather passed away when I was 5, so not many memories of him. He was an amateur golfer and won many trophies and even played a match against Bobby Jones in Philadelphia. His two brothers were professional golfers. I also knew my maternal great grandmother who we called Peppermint Nanny because she always had Cross mints and would give us one or two when we visited.
My maternal grandmother and I were very close. She lived near us most of my childhood and we stayed close all through my adulthood until she passed away at 93. I have such fond memories of our relationship. She brought me to faith in Jesus. I just so much enjoyed our relationship together.
My maternal grandmother passed away when I was 7, my paternal grandfather passed away when my father was 12, both my surviving grandparents lived 350-450 miles away so I didn’t spend very much time with them during my childhood except for occasional weekend trips.
Grew up in an orphanage. Now I live about a mile from where I grew up. Our grand kids grew up in our house.
My grandma grew up in a Catholic orphanage in downtown Dallas. It was a hard upbringing & the Nuns were not very nice or compassionate to the children. She left when she was just becoming a teen……ran off & hopped a train all the way to KC, MO. Within two weeks she married my Pappy, who was a complete stranger, of course. They were married 73 years. She died at 87 & he was 98, six months to the day after she passed. That wouldn’t be okay in today’s time, but it was really common then.
Have a nice day!
My paternal grandparents died before I was born. My maternal grandfather died when I was 6 and my maternal grandmother died when I was 14. She was very hard of hearing, so it was almost impossible to have a conversation with her. She did make my brother and me molasses cookies once in a while, though.
I really only had one grandparent, my maternal Grandmother. My paternal grandparents died when I was real young, and we didn’t see them very often. My Grandma loved to spoil us kids.
I was too young to remember my paternal grandparents before they passed. My moms parents were great. They were poor but the fun I had with them. My grandfather was really a card and influenced me in many ways. We did things that I’ll never forget. Some my parents and grandmother did not approve of but neither of us cared. Although they had many grandchildren I was the favorite. Overheard grandma say he died of worry when I went to Nam. I was in the bush when he went into the hospital and didn’t know he passed until 2 weeks later. I never got to tell him good bye.
I lost my mother at age 8 and my Dad was on active duty in the Navy. At that point my paternal grandparents took over the task of raising me. I lived with them until age 16 . My Dad received shore duty orders, was remarried so I then went to live with him. My grandparents and an uncle were very instrumental in my young life.
My parents were in their mid 40s when I was born an they both immigrated to this country. Both grandfathers were dead long before I was born. I met my mother’s mother only once on a visit to England. My fathers mother lived in Yonkers, NY and I did get to see her regularly but she spoke very little english. I do remember her fondly. Because of the age disparity she died while I was in my early teens and my parents both passed before I was 35.
I now have so many questions I would love to ask them.
To visit our children and grandchildren was a major reason we purchased our RV. we just left our son and are currently visiting our daughter and grandchildren on our way to Florida for the winter.
My grandma & Pappy were the BEST! True “old-timer’s” who lived off the land, farming & Pappy had a sawmill. Eleven children & poor grandma was still going to have two more babies after becoming a grandma for several. Pappy said they didn’t have TV back then & grandma was just too sweet to not love. He was so ornery….the “ol’ goat!” He made his own moonshine & wine in the back room of the sawmill. Very Irish (McLaughlin) & very proud. .I was lucky in that when their health declined, I was able to help provide their end-of-life-care & am so grateful I had that opportunity to spend this time with them. Pappy lived to be almost 100 & just as ornery the day before he passed. I got my grandparents until I was 40, which is a blessing, in & of itself!
My father’s parents both died before I was born but my Greatgrands were in my young life. My mother’s parents were in my young life and beyond.
My fraternal grandparents lived a block away and we (my brothers and I) spent many hours with them either at their home or at the cottage. My maternal grandparents lived on the other side of the country so we only saw them on vacation, but still pretty close to them as well. Both sets of grandparents lived a long and healthy life. Now we are a very important part of our grandkids lives and they are very lucky to have a great-grandmother (my mom) as well.
Only my maternal grandmother.
Only knew my mom’s father, he lived with my mom’s sister On other side of town. He would come to visit twice a month for a day and stay for supper then my parents would drive him home. He passed away when I was 13. Others grandparents passed away before I was born.
Not getting the polls
I had the same problem. I use a VPN for all my internet access and recently started having trouble with RV Travel access and polls. I have to turn it off, access RV Travel (or this poll) and then after it loads, turn my VPN back on. Not sure if this is your issue or not.
I grew up with my grandparent next door. As kids we spent almost every evening at their house eating toast and playing canasta. This is my most endearing remembrance of them. Although they fought like animals they would always stop as soon as we showed up. All us grand kids always talk about them when we get together. I will never forget.
I never knew my grandparents because they all passed away before I was old enough. I have 5 grandchildren and spend as much time as I can with them.
My grandparents lived in New Jersey, I lived in Ohio. Long way to travel in the 40’s and 50’s. Only saw them a couple of times that I can remember.
Part 1) I grew up in Miami Beach. My paternal GP and great GP lived there too. My great GF died when I was 6 and my great GM died when I was 23. My GF died when I was 19 and my GM when I was 51. She was 97 years old. My maternal GP lived in Nashville. My GM died when I was 19 too. My GF died when I was 43. I was able to experience multiple visits with all of them and able to remember them too. Now my grandchildren are able to share the stories with us about them. Both of my children remember my paternal GM and my maternal GF.
Part 2; My oldest grand in PA, is 17 and she met my paternal GM when she was 3. She vaguely remembers when we associate the view from her house and furnishings that she had. She remembers my mother and step father, her sister 9, never met either set of great GPs. Our youngest grand daughter, almost 2, lives in California. While we do FaceTime with her at least four times a week, we have only visited with her five times. We are in S/W Florida and can’t wait for this virus to be over!!!
A followup to a comment a while back about polls not opening. I am now – and have for a short while – the problem. Today the poll would not open in Chrome, Edge, and Brave browsers. It would only open in Firefox.
My Maternal Grandmother, the only one still alive when i was born, lived with us for most of my childhood. I now treasure the time i got to spend with her
Both of my Grandmothers played substantial roles and I spent time with them both. Worked alongside my Paternal Grandmother in the fields a few times. I saw them often during the week but both Grandfathers were deceased before I was born
I spent summers with my grandmother because I had no living grandfather. Now that my mother is deceased my daughter has no living grandparents but did spend a good deal of her growing up years with her grandmother until this year. Now it is me who will be the grandparent, scary when she has children. God willing.
My maternal grandparents carved an acre from their 5-acre lot and gave it to my parents as a wedding gift. Consequently, I had the pleasure (perhaps it was mutual) of growing up next door to my grandparents. As young children my brother and I would each climb aboard one of the wide arms of my grandmother’s rocking chair and ride her “stagecoach” to wonderful and exciting places in our collective imagination. After my grandfather’s premature passing at age 67 in 1970, I came to view my grandmother as MY grandmother. Although she, too, eventually passed away at age 94 in early 2002, she never got old or tired. I still miss her free-wheeling imagination and infectious silliness.