The Grandparent Detox

The

When I was little, there was nothing I liked better than seeing my grandparents! If I knew they were coming, I would sit in a chair in the entry way all day waiting for them to come! When I was with my grandparents, I got to eat sugary cereal. There was always gum available (denture friendly gum, but gum nonetheless). My grandma always made everyone’s favorite cookie – even with five grandchildren… there would be five different kinds of cookies.

We lived in a world where we would take walks every day, sometimes multiple times a day and pick up cans and crush them! To a kid, that’s so cool!! My mom swears that I didn’t know what dessert was until I stayed with my grandparents. I also was introduced to the amazing world of adding chocolate to milk!! As a kid, hanging out with my grandparents was the best!

When I had kids, I was so excited for them to experience grandparents! My parents and in-laws were super cool to me, so imagine what they would be like as grandparents. I am so excited for my kids to be super close to their grandparents, and we’re super lucky that they all live fairly close and we have two good sets of them!

After our kids get to spend time with their grandparents, we get to do a little thing we like to call “The Grandparent Detox”.  Every parent knows what this is.  This is the time period after the grandparents leave where you have to get your kid back to normal life. The time spent in detox is directly proportional to the amount of time and fun they have had with their grandparents.

Here’s some important steps for the detox…

  1. Reteach children that they can play by themselves. No, I’m not going to play with you all the time. Yes, you can play by yourself.
  2. Convince kids that we do not have dessert after every meal. No, you can’t have candy. No, we’re not going to have any sugar. Yes, ice cream counts as sugar.
  3. No more whining. This is a weird one because I don’t think the kids whine that much to the grandparents. But once they are back to their normal routine, there tends to be a lot of whining. This could also manifest into all out meltdowns.
  4. Bedtime is back to normal. Yes you got to stay up late. No you can’t stay up late now. Yes, you’re super cute and saying you need more hugs gets me for a little while, but two hours past bedtime with several meltdowns replaying in my mind, the hugs might have to wait until in the morning.

Grandparent time works well for all of us. I LOVE having more people who love my kids! I want my kids to have a close relationship with their grandparents. I love my memories with my grandparents and want my kids to have their own memories. The other thing that is great when grandparents come… we get a break! This last time, my husband and I were able to getaway for a tropical vacation for several days. We got some rest and I ate meals all in one setting!

We’ve all done the grandparent detox. it’s not pretty and it can be exhausting, but it’s definitely worth it!

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Carrie Gould
Hi OKC! I'm Carrie! My husband, Steven, and I met in college but never dated. Many years later, we reconnected and fell in love. After a whirlwind romance and gorgeous wedding I gave up my Texan status and moved to Oklahoma (he was worth it!) He spends his days on the road travelling all over the state of Oklahoma. We are the proud parents of our adorable 2 year old, Caroline and precious baby Benjamin. There is very little sleeping going on at our house. I am a music lover and a wannabe crafter. I am very good at following directions but not so great at creating my own masterpieces. I was a math teacher for 6 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. Before being a teacher, I worked in the actuarial field, which is what I am doing part-time now. As a family we work hard to live a simple life, create great memories, and love the Lord with all our heart. I am so excited to be sharing my family with all of you and connecting with other local moms!

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