Great Ways To Set Boundaries With Your Kids’ Grandparents

Great Ways To Set Boundaries With Your Kids’ Grandparents

I’m surprisingly good at acting calm, cool, and collected when my life is chaotic. But the year I became a single mom, I couldn’t hide my anxiety, and my father quickly noticed how frazzled I was. He came to my help and offered to have us live with him. Soon, I found something else to be anxious about: setting boundaries with my father. Those first few months with him were rocky, and years later, we still struggle to listen to each other and find a middle ground. Along the way, I’ve come up with a few tips to help me maintain boundaries as the parent and still give him the space to be close to his grandchildren.

Be direct and straightforward

If the grandparents offer to take care of your kids for an afternoon or evening, be very clear about the plan and stick to it. For example, kindly tell your parents what time you’d like them to be at your doorstep and what time you’d like them to return. Be crystal clear about your expectations: “Please feed the baby organic carrots, which I made this morning and pureed,” “Limit screen time to half an hour,” “One cookie for dessert, but that’s it on sugar.”

Gifting boundaries

If there’s a birthday or big holiday coming up, be sure to communicate with grandparents about gifts that won’t be so welcome in your home. For those of you coParenting, the gifting conversation is worth having with your ex. It took my own father many years to realize how much I despised plastic toys that made noise. (I’ll admit to being passive-aggressive and sneaking them back into his house.) He now realizes how much we all appreciate books over Barbies. If your parents are on a mission to outshine you in the gift-giving department, you might consider giving them that honor and letting them splurge on the swing set or bunk bed.

Relax

Know that grandparents will break the rules. Do your best to be chill.

Let’s be real. Even if you lay down the law (“What did I say about screen time?” “Did you let them eat a box of licorice?”), your parents are probably going to test the limits of your boundaries. As long as your kids are safe (i.e., Grandpa isn’t driving them around without a car seat), stay calm.

Be grateful

When my father cared for my preschooler one Saturday evening a month, I knew she’d fall asleep with the TV on, no matter how I’d much asked him to limit it. (Fortunately, it was PBS kids.) I was so ready to explode, but that never works. Do your best to remember that you just got a whole evening of FREE childcare. Rather than resent your parents for not doing exactly as you asked, be grateful that they want to spend time with your children and that your kids are safe and sound, around people who love and care for them. In the big picture, they’ll be fine, even if grandma did feed your little one GMO carrots from the jar.

Remember that you are the parent

However, when it comes to big parenting decisions, you are in charge. For example, grandparents do NOT get to decide when it’s time for you to wean, move your children to their own bed, potty train, or start preschool. Even if your parents are financially helping you, you set the boundaries for both your parents and your children; it’s still up to you as the parent when it comes to all the important stuff. No doubt, grandparents are ready to pour on their own advice, as they remind you what a great job they did raising you. As the parent, you have the last word.

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