Caring for Grandkids When Mom or Dad is Sick

Last week, our daughter had an operation which was supposed to be pretty routine and turned into something much more extensive, with a cardiac complication that's going to take some time to recover from. We were very happy we were there for the surgery, and ended up being the primary caregivers for our littlest granddaughter for about five days. Whew, we love that child, and she's a ton of work! It's sort of a given that you forget how much work a baby is, but especially those middle of the night, I-miss-my-mommy times were pretty tough.

However, she more than made up for the exhaustion with lots of hugs, kisses, and mischievous grins. She's just so full of personality for a 9-month old! I don't know about other grandmas, but making the transition from caregiver, even for just a few days, back to grandma, is rough. For some reason, after I've been the "mama" for a while, I have a tough time not worrying about the little ones. It usually takes me at least a couple of days to get back into grandma mode and out of "worrying parent" mode.

I'm happy to say, though, that I've successfully made the transition back at this point, and am busily worrying about having enough cool toys for Christmas to make even the pickiest child happy.