Protective Bubbles

[Elisi]

Have you ever wished that you could take your grandchildren and surround them with protective bubbles that would allow them to function in the world, but never be hurt by others or ever make unfortunate or ill-advised life-altering decisions?

We are relegated to the roles of neutral bystanders because they are not our children. We can offer listening ears, advice if they are willing to hear it, and reassurance that we will always love them unconditionally. How do you feel?

[Nanto2girls]

[QUOTE=Elisi;n19565]Have you ever wished that you could take your grandchildren and surround them with protective bubbles that would allow them to function in the world, but never be hurt by others or ever make unfortunate or ill-advised life-altering decisions?

It would be nice if we could do this Elisi, but unfortunately we can't. It's part of life isn't it, having to make good/bad decisions.

[Gemini]

Yes yes and yes again.

[Daisy]

I certainly wish I could protect them from life's cruelties, big and small. I feel so protective of them all.

[Clover]

Yes especially my lovely ASD Grandson.I pray life won't treat him too harshly.

[WeeGranny]

Not just grandchildren, but children too!!

[Guest]

I know the initial feeling - but, on reflection, no.

Because I want them to grow up and be independent adults eventually, and we can only do that by allowing them to make mistakes and learn from them.

And, learning to let go and watch the inevitable mistakes happen, is good for us too. Because we need to let go and, however hard it is, learn to rejoice in their growing towards maturity and leaving their childhood behind.

And, having said that, yes it's b***** hard!

[Skye]

I think all grannies feel very protective towards their GC, perhaps even more so than we did towards our own children. We don't want them to be hurt in any way, would like to choose the safe option for them every time, but we know we cannot do that and they need to be allowed to fly the nest, making their own mistakes, like we all did. We can only watch over them from a distance ...

[ZIZI]

I know I would like to put Ben in bubble wrap for the rest of his life to prevent him from suffering any more with this blasted syndrome without a name. GOSH have postponed his heart operation because of the adrenal gland thing. The heart op was to repair a leaky valve. Bless him. Having said that he is a very outgoing and I agree with MinnyS about the children growing into independent and mature.

[Shemadee]

I can see where you are coming from but I've known a couple of people who have been " protected" from real life but they seem to fall apart when faced with difficulties in their adult life. So overall they need a few challenges to face whilst they have loving adults around them to help them out!

[Daisy]

Shemadee - I remember working with a chap who was in his mid-thirties when first his mum and then his aunt who lived with them died. They had done everything for this man - he didn't even know how to take the top of his boiled egg - not that he would have known how to boil it in the first place.

Clover - I've only just seen your post about your ASD GS. I know how you feel, and I hope and pray that my ASD GS can find his niche in the world without too much heartache along the way, but he's very nearly 12 now and the first year at secondary school has seen him gain in confidence. Looking back at the specialist's prognosis when GS was 3 and where he is now, it's nothing short of a miracle. He walks to school with friends, he's the Year 7 Rep for IT, he came top of his group in Science, and he's lively, chatty and very funny. Yes, there are still plenty of challenges ahead (and ongoing!) and his mum and dad are constantly working on how best to bring him up, but the progress is fantastic. So all we can do is love, support, and celebrate each step, no matter how small it may be. xx