It's interesting. I assumed my kids' grandmothers would be the most active of the grandparents. It ended up, far and away, being my father who does the most with my kids. I don't even ask him, he offers to take them to sports practices, watch them if we're tied up, works with them on homework, etc. This is a guy who I never would have described as being kid-centric.
My mother, on the other hand, makes a big deal out of being busy, "I'll have to see if I can get my errands done that day," etc.
Other grandparents live some distance away, but FIL is the one who always says "No problem" and MIL is the one who says "Well, we'll have to see if we can work it out, I've got quite a bit to get down around the house, and the cat blah blah blah." This from a woman who has been retired for 10 years and never worked more than part time her entire life.
It has struck me as unexpected and bizarre, but maybe it's part of a greater trend.
I'm gonna copy and paste this comment into a letter for both sets of dead beat grandparents my kids have
It's interesting. I assumed my kids' grandmothers would be the most active of the grandparents. It ended up, far and away, being my father who does the most with my kids. I don't even ask him, he offers to take them to sports practices, watch them if we're tied up, works with them on homework, etc. This is a guy who I never would have described as being kid-centric.
My mother, on the other hand, makes a big deal out of being busy, "I'll have to see if I can get my errands done that day," etc.
Other grandparents live some distance away, but FIL is the one who always says "No problem" and MIL is the one who says "Well, we'll have to see if we can work it out, I've got quite a bit to get down around the house, and the cat blah blah blah." This from a woman who has been retired for 10 years and never worked more than part time her entire life.
It has struck me as unexpected and bizarre, but maybe it's part of a greater trend.
Men are problem solvers and generally have a psychological (if not biological) need to be useful.