by Carol Flett

Created on: December 02, 2010

When grandparents baby sit their grandchildren wonderful things can happen. Love can grow, bonding can take place, grandchildren can learn so much, and grandparents can pass on their heritage. If this isn't happening don't give up. There is no situation that cannot be helped by a few careful changes.

In an ideal world parents would never have to leave their children in the hands of a babysitter, but in today's society this is an unrealistic goal. Most homes cannot function without the help of a babysitter either for occasional escapes for mom, or for full time help. In many cases the most practical solution is to solicit the aid of a grandparent.

Through babysitting, grandparents have a wonderful opportunity to have a huge impact on their grandchildren's lives. Children love stories, and babysitting is the perfect excuse to tell grandchildren stories from the past that will help them attain the wisdom of age without going through the experiences and living through the heartaches themselves.

Every grandparent loves their grandchildren, and the children are blessed with the warmth of that love. They know that they can confide in Grandma or Grandpa and get a loving response. It becomes a secure environment.

The parents know that Grandma or Grandpa will always do what they believe is best for the children, but occasionally, this wonderful trait can cause an unfortunate clash of wills. Grandparents often have a different view of what is best than those of Mom or Dad, and this can cause friction.

Parents should handle these delicate situations with extreme care. Are the children suffering because of what their grandparents are doing? Are the methods the grandparents employ going to cause lasting damage? Is that damage going to be worse than the harm caused by friction between parent and grandparent?

Every child knows, or will someday know, that grandparents are Mom's or Dad's parents. And every child will follow the example that they see. Parents should be careful never to complain about Grandma's or Grandpa's babysitting techniques in front of their children, no matter how frustrating the situation becomes, or they may hear their children voicing similar complaints about them. Their own relationship with their children is ultimately at stake.

In the unlikely case where the situation is truly serious to the child's well being, such as cases where the grandparents are alcoholics, or are abusive, or have questionable friendships, the child should obviously be removed

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