By Kerrie Simon-Lawrence, MD® Editor
It’s Grandparent’s Day coming up on 27 October. How amazing are our mums and dads? Personally, I couldn’t do life (or motherhood) without mine. My own mum especially has been such a rock helping me navigate my way through the tantrums and the tears of #toddlerlife.
I remember time spent with my grandparents back in the day. They were boring. My grandparents were older, and the school of thought was that kids should blend into the background. So my entire days were spent sorting through Nanna’s sewing box of buttons or watching the clock, counting down until my mum’s car pulled into the driveway.
Fast-forward and now I’m a mama-of-two, and my mum and dad love hanging with my babes and seeing what they can do to connect with them. It’s a whole new world.
I also have a job, and a husband that I like to go on the odd date night with and, well, that means I leave my boys with someone I trust. And there’s no one I trust more than my own mama, right?
That first time I dropped them off for the day at mum’s, I felt more guilty than I had expected. I spent my day at the office thinking about my little whirlwinds wondering how they were getting on, and how my mum was coping!
But when I walked through the front door of my mum’s house, my boys didn’t rush at me like abandoned animals, the way I had expected them to. They were spread out on the floor, surrounded by a sea of LEGO® DUPLO®, lost in a safari scene they’d created with their Nanna.
OMG, let me tell you. DUPLO is a GAME. CHANGER. I had no idea! If you have a toddler or pre-schooler, I seriously recommend it.
Mum was surrounded by the most awesome DUPLO bricks, complete with elephants, tigers, monkeys and toucans. My minis were so thrilled and had spent hours playing, that they kept asking me on repeat to come again the next day.
“Can we come back tomorrow? Can we, mama?” my boos squealed!
To suggest I was stunned would be an understatement as they had never been this good before with my mum, even when I was there! They had been entertained for hours while I was away; they’d used their imaginations, they’d worked on their fine motor skills and, more importantly, they’d bonded with their Nanna.
“I’ve got dinner ready, and then maybe they can have a bath here,” mum suggested with a raised eyebrow. She motioned to the bathroom and there it was – the DUPLO Submarine Adventure set. “It’s waterproof,” she whispered, possibly more excited than even my boys. I had all the warm and fuzzies, it was so cute. Bless my beautiful mama.
So we stayed. We ate, and the boys bathed with their bubble-making submarine, coral, clownfish and whales. They went home clean, fed and happy.
My boys now love their special time with their grand-mama; she absolutely adores spending days with them, and they’re all working together to build some awesome LEGO DUPLO creations, it’s so adorable.
And as an added bonus, I’m planning a fortnightly date night with my hubby! #winwin
**With thanks to Lego Duplo – one of our beloved sponsors and partners #love
