12 Stories That Are Redefining What It Means to Be a Grandparent Today

When you think of grandparents, a plate of cookies and a cozy house might come to mind. But, in recent years, it seems grandparents favor scrolling through their phones than giving their grandchildren time of day, as shown from some of these stories.

1.

We live two hours away (no other family close to us) and don’t see my MIL often. She’ll come to our house and sit on her phone instead of spend time with her granddaughter. Then she wonders why my daughter acts so shy around her, but she doesn’t put any effort into spending time with her.
© Yuityfroghurt / Reddit

2.

My parents begged me to move back to my home state for years. My husband and I finally moved, got jobs, etc. My parents almost immediately decided to sell their house and move 4 hours away. Now we have a toddler and they come up once a month to see him, but if he acts, you know, toddlerish it’s time to give him back immediately. © rivlet / Reddit

3.

My mom rarely visits. When she does, she’s glued to her phone. Last time, she showed up unannounced. I already had a sitter for my 6 y.o. I expected her to say, “Cancel that, I’ll watch my grandson!” I couldn’t believe what she said instead: “You mean I can catch up on reading? Good!” Like what!?! You work barely 30 hours a week, get to go out and get your nails done, face waxed, and you don’t have time for reading!?

4.

I invited my mom to our family beach trip so she would help with my son’s diapers. I even made a schedule for us to keep track. I made it so my husband and I could finally relax. But, when we arrived and I gave her the baby, she stared at me and said, “I did my time with you and your brother, now it’s your time. I’m not changing diapers anymore.”

5.

My in-laws have made comment after comment about how “we should move closer” and have gone as far as sending my husband job listings. Newest baby was born and they told my husband they couldn’t fly to us because they have a dog but we could fly with our two kids including a newborn to see them! They have changed all of 1 diaper for my 19 month old, have never helped with feedings or just holding him when he was little, and now don’t even get on his level to play. © agoldst / Reddit

6.

My mom argued with me about how she would watch my son 5 days a week, I told her that was a lot to expect out of her, so let’s do 1-2 days a week for 4-6 hours. When she started doing other inappropriate things, like having him around inappropriate people, I said, “Thanks for the babysitting help but I’m going to be pursuing daycare options going forward”. She spread rumors about me, saying I had her raising my son and that he was over for 10 hours a day, 6-7 days a week and that the reason I stopped was because she set a boundary with me and I freaked out on her. © Aurelene-Rose / Reddit

7.

My side of the family is very involved but my husband’s side has seen our son twice since he was born and it’s been almost half a year. They never call and check in. They never invite us. We invited them and they said they would send us their schedule so we could find a time to meet but never did. We saw them when he was born and over Christmas. And we only live like an hour away and they have to drive past us to go to the city. © Unknown Author / Reddit

8.

I had pretty bad grandparents, they lived an hour away and I saw them maybe 30 times in my life they just made no effort at all. They both passed two years ago, and it was like we didn’t even lose anyone in the family. © Subreddit77 / Reddit

9.

I left my toddler daughter with my mom once for four hours in my apartment, because my mom was visiting and I had to work. When I got back, the dining chairs were all around the room, in front of various shelf units and things. I asked her why, and she said it was to keep my daughter away from the shelves. But it meant that my daughter couldn’t access any of her books or toys, and she was really out of sorts when I got back. © KnockOffTheRack / Reddit

10.

My mother played favorites among the grandchildren. She ignored my nephew, believing he wasn’t biologically her grandson. She pampered my son, but then she slowly started trying to dictate how he looked and where he went to school. The woman admitted that she would have turned her back on him if I had sent him to a boarding school. Seriously? As for my father, he sat back and did absolutely nothing to stop her. © Small-Elevator2261 / Reddit

11.

My parents are 68 years old and my daughter is 5 and I’m pregnant now. They live 20 minutes away and have an interest on paper to visit but they seem more interested in telling people that we keep her from them which isn’t true, they just never have time. I asked if they can babysit while my partner and I went through IVF treatments and they refused. © the-cookie-momster / Reddit

12.

My mom refuses to come to my house because I won’t let them smoke in the house and apparently her husband is to good to stand outside. She uses the excuse of she doesn’t have extra gas to waste (20 minute drive) in case they need it for doctor appointments and such but they will drive all over doing favors for neighbors they barely know. I don’t go to their house because it’s not a healthy/clean environment for my kids. Grandma on dad’s side has never watched them and only sees them once a year on Christmas Eve for a few hours. Not having family support is super hard, especially on the kids.
© MommaBear5_2 / Reddit

As seen from these stories, not all grandparents can offer the love and care their grandchildren deserve. While these grandparents turn up their noses at family, these ones still know what fun means.