What role do Grandparents play in your childrens lives?

     Growing up here in the South it is not uncommon for Family to live near by.  Everybody knows everybody and we ride by your house there was probably somebody sitting on the porch waving to every car that rode by!  I am almost 3 years old and still when I ride by certain houses I look to see that Hello wave and then I realize their not here anymore.
 
     I never knew any of my Grandfathers, all but one was deceased before I was born or before I was old enough to know them.  However I had my Grandmothers up until January 2010 when I lost my last one!  I have fond memories of going to her house and helping her kill a chicken, cleaning it, and then making homemade chicken pastry.  That wasn't for everyone but I learned a lot of  lessons through helping her tend the animals, and just spending time with her.

Me & Granny Christmas 2010

     My Grandmother moved next door to us when I was about 10 years old I guess and I can remember raking her entire yard for $0.25.  Yes you heard me right for $0.25.  My parents both worked and Me and my sisters would stay with my Grandmother til they got home.  And it never failed that she had candy, even it was from Christmas 2 years ago.  When I Stayed the night with her I would beg her to sing this particular song, I don't remember the name of the song but it was a very good song.  It was kind of the like the Hansel and Gretel story where the Old Lady eat the children.

     Now my parents play a major role in my children's lives in many different ways.  First of all I live next door to my parents, so they are always there when I need them for something.  My Mother babysits for me to go to the Doctor or for a very important business meeting.  At Christmas this past year I wasn't able to get my children anything for Christmas and my Mother stepped up and helped me out.  Grandparents today also are raising their Grandchildren more now than they ever have in the past.  I can remember being little and if you had the child you did the best you could to raise your child yourself.  My Parents raised their first grandchild, they even adopted her and she is now about to be 21 years old.  Then about 8 years ago we lost my Nephew when he was only 7 months old and they started raising raising his sister and have had her ever since.

     I can't help but feel like Grandparents now are much more involved in our children than we are sometimes, and that for the most part they are raising them for us.  For some it is to go out and party, and for those like me it is only for School or Work.