She realized that she had made a mistake. The abiding love of a grandparent, given freely without judgment can be one of the most powerful forces in a child's life. It is the perfect compliment to the parents' efforts in the home. That gift is becoming infinitely more precious as the pressures of the world mount around us. Caught in the pressures of diaper-changing, cooking, car pooling, helping with homework, laundry, cleaning house, etc., often parents have little time to do additional special things to show love to their children.
Grandparents are often in a position to come to the situation fresh and fill in that gap.
It was Presidents' Day, a vacation from school. Our older children faced a real dilemma. Several of their friends had invited them to go do something. The children debated back and forth, but in the end they chose to do the thing they wanted to do most-go to Grandma's house to play games. Some of our children's fondest memories are Valentines and Easter packages mailed from grandparents, containing candies and cards.