do grandparents love their grandchild more than their own child?

[Hiphophap123]

MIL has been telling me repeatedly that 'grandmothers love their grandchildren more than their own children.'. She tells me her friends agree with her on this.

The first time I heard this I thought it was a bit of an odd comment. The second time I thought it was a bit inappropriate to say to me. Now with it being said repeatedly I'm feeling offended as I feel like she's suggesting that she loves DC more than I do. We have had some issues with mil being very controlling and not recognising us as the parents so that doesn't help. Im also concerned that she will say this infront of her 2 sons which could be hurtful to them. I'm particularly interested in comments from any grandparents.

• is it true? Do GPs love their GC more than their DC?
  
• is it normal to tell your DCs this?
  
• how can I respond to this firmly without being offensive? MIL doesn't take hints u have to be clear but I really don't want to be rude! If I said ' I think u may have forgotten how u felt as a new mum. It isn't even possible for me to love anyone more than my DC' Or 'I think that's really sad for your DC maybe u shouldn't say it to me or them.' Any ideas?

[DisappointedOne]

My mum says DD is the reward she got for not throttling me as a teenager.

[BlueMoonRising]

Crap. Grandparents have an easier time with their grandchildren than they do with their children, so it's easier and less frustrating, but there's no way they love then more.

[whatevva]

A. It is a gross generalisation, and all gross generalisations are wrong.

B. Yes, weird

I would have thought that parents love their children a lot and grandparents love their children a lot, but differently, ie as parents or grandparents and that one is not greater than the other. There is always room for love.

[Hiphophap123]

Hahaha!! That made me
Laugh DisappointedOne! . Do u think that's all it is? It's not that they love the child more it's just that they don't have to deal with the worry and discipline bits as a grandparent they just get the fun bits?

[Alisvolatpropiis]

I think they love being able to love them without anything like the same amount of responsibility involved!

[LizKeen]

It is probably the excuse she uses to rationalise her undermining of you as parents. She sounds toxic.

I think that some GPs get the opportunity to have all the fun without the negative aspects of parenting, which maybe could make it seem like grand children are easier/more loveable than their own children were. My FIL tells me all the time that he loves being a GD because he can enjoy them completely, and he is settled now and not worried about jobs and money like when his DC were growing up. That and the fact he can hand them back when he has had enough. :o

[MitzyLeFrouf]

I'm not a grandparent but I'd have though being a grandparent was a gentler kind of love than being a parent. One that didn't have such a primal feel to it. One without the stresses and strains of being an actual parent. Without the extreme highs and lows.

A weird thing to say though. Very weird. And hurtful to your MIL's actual kids.

[LarrytheCucumber]

I love my grandchildren dearly, but I don't love them more than I love my own children.
I think it is a bit of an odd statement to be honest.

[StephenKatz]

My DM says being a granny is far more fun than being a parent ever was. She can do the good stuff like running around on the beach with them and stuffing them with ice cream, but doesn't have to do the crappy stuff like early waking and cleaning up puke.

However I can't imagine that she loves her DGC more than my DB and I.

[LittleCandle]

I have recently become a grandmother and was surprised at my instant connection to my granddaughter. However much I adore her, I certainly don't love her more than my own DCs. I think that is an extraordinary thing to say. It is lovely to hand them back when they get grumpy...

[myotherusernameisbetter]

I would think by the laws of nature that wouldn't be true. Your children contain half your genes so your need to cherish and protect them would surely be higher than a grandchild with only a quarter of your genes? Or would the fact that they are the next generation from your child and therefore the future of your genes make those feelings stronger?

So, I guess I don't know :o

I don't have grandchildren yet, but I can't imagine being able to love anyone more than I do my children. Even as they are now as teenagers I find it very powerful and consuming.

[DisappointedOne]

One of the reasons we need less sleep as we age is because in our early days (as humans) it was the grandparents that would keep watch overnight. So I'd guess there is something primeval about grandparental love to grandchildren.

[AuntieStella]

I think it's a bit weird to 'rank' love anyhow.

It's not as if it's a finite resource.

Can you just smile and nod?

[Asskicker]

My mum always says it's different.

She gets all the fun parts with my DC. Non of the day to day drudgery , so does seem more fun.

But she doesn't love them more than me and dbro.

I understand this to some degree. Having my niece and nephew is fun. I don't have to worry about the little things and can hand them back when they cry. They don't keep me up every night etc. It's all the best bits and non of responsibility.

I adore my brothers kids, but not more than I love my own

[MNemonica]

I'm a grandmother, and I love my grandchildren as much as I love my children, I couldn't love them more as it wouldn't be possible!

The relationship with grandchildren is more pleasurable in some ways though, as we grandparents have the fun times and less stress as we aren't responsible for daily routines, decisions etc.

Personally I love being a grandmother, just as much as I enjoyed being a mother.

However, I would never undermine the parents in any way, and would never imagine for a second that I loved their children more than they do.

[lostInTheWash]

It is probably the excuse she uses to rationalise her undermining of you as parents. She sounds toxic.


I suspect this too.

IL made odd statements that upset DH when our DC were little along these kind of lines - partly control issues, partly MIL can't deal with getting older, partly inability to see us as adult and parents - despite us being in 30's and partly I think she was blind sided by not enjoying early years as a mum - suspect pnd undiagnosed for the early years - they are never talked about positive till reach mid childhood.

I'm sure she does love them - but it's an odd comment to make to the mother of the said child.

[Chilledmonkeybrains]

I don't know but I've always wondered why, talking in generalisations again, grandparents are so much more lenient with the grandkids than they were with their own.

They get bought ice creams, sweets and so on from my mum that I would never have been allowed.

[TheWordOfBagheera]

My MIL says this too but I think it is rather sadly a sign of how little she loved her own children. She does love hers in her own way (with a favoured child by her own admission ), but for her children it is a very manipulative, narcissistic and twisted sort of love, all on her own terms and for her own gain.

Thankfully FIL, step-MIL and DM would say nothing of the sort and are much more reasonable and loving people in general.

[deepdarkwood]

The phrase I heard - and I think makes sense is that you love your children ... But are in love with your grandchildren. The in love stage is a heady, exciting thing. The other person can do no wrong, you go along with stuff to make them happy, there's no worrying about responsibility or what comes next or anything logical. I think that doesn't make a deeper love but a very different type. I think it explains some of the bra parental insanity you often read on here too ...

[Duckdeamon]

MIL sounds a PITA.

Unacceptable thing for her to say: how hurtful for her DC if they knew, and what an awful position to put you in!

I wouldn't personally leave a family member who said this kind of crap and had other controlling / interfering tendencies in sole charge of my DC!

[AnnaMarlowe]

It's a very odd thing to say. Particularly to say repeatedly.

The key point however is that just because she loves your children more than she loves her own that doesn't mean she loves them more than you love them.

[lostInTheWash]

On plus side few year in IL calmed down and did start listening to us as parents - and stopped making these kind of remarks in from of DH.

If it's the first grandchild - that seem to trigger this type of thing less so subsequent ones - perhaps the grandparent is taken back by the love the feel for the Grandchild and they go a bit loopy for a while?

[maggiethemagpie]

My mum tries to prove to me that she wasn't a crap mum by being overly caring towards my kids...I think she's aware she made mistakes the first time round and it's like she's trying to prove(to me or herself) that she can be this benevolent, perfect parent in the way she behaves towards my kids.

Maybe something similar going on with the OPs mum?