Be the Good Grandparent

​​There’s often a fine line between disagreeing with your own children’s parenting decisions and meddling. But as grandparents, you must remember that the ultimate responsibili​ty and authority for your grandkids lies with their parents. If you do bring it up, here are a few good tips for handling these types of situations:

• Always keep the lines of communication​ open. Talk often with the parents of your grandkids and let them know you think it’s important that everyone is on the same page when it comes to caring for the kids
• Be supportive. Parenting is tough and the parents of your grandkids need to hear from you that they’re doing a good job.
• Pick your battles. Don’t criticize every little thing you don’t like about their parenting style or strategies. Step up and speak up when necessary, but take some time to decide whether it’s worth risking an argument or creating a family feud.
• Don’t ignore the instructions the parents give you when you’re babysitting the grandkids. They know their children better than you do, and they provide those instructions for a reason.
• Don’t say or do things that can force your grandkids to choose sides. Nothing good ever comes out of comments or actions that make the parents look like the bad guys and make the grandparents look like the good guys.