Grannies in the same room, at the same time

when I was born my dad took both my grans into the hospital to see me and from that day forward they were the best of friends, they went to social clubs together, danced together and they also went on many holidays abroad,

to the outside world they were like chalk and cheese but someone they got on great. Was lovely having my grans as friends.

my mum and mil knew each other from being young adults around the same age and both of their mums lived next door to each other for a while so they knew each other and were chatty when they sat each other but that’s as friendly as they were,

It's like when a child meets their teacher in a social environment. Totally crazy and mind blowing that they're a real person! Seeing your two sets of grandparents meet would be like seeing the cast of friends end up on an episode of frazier!

Yes, totally and that thought had never occurred to me until you mentioned it. Even though both sets used to live round the corner from each other. And they used to refer to the other set as Mr and Mrs X!!

I only had one, the rest had died from what are now preventable illnesses and the after effects of WW1.

My grandparents met at our house from time to time. They always called one another Mr....or Mrs... It was rather formal, even though they got on very well. My paternal grandparents were born in the 1890s, and my maternal side were born in the 1910s. It was a very different world back then.

My two Nanas were best friends! ❤️

Nannageddon!

My grandparents never met due to living in different countries. But can imagine I'd feel the same!

However I have a similar feeling of an event being etched into my psyche from when I met my close friend's brother for the first time after knowing her for years. It was so surreal to see someone that looked just like her but wasn't her, there was no social media back then so I didn't know what to expect. I just spent the next two hours saying "I can't believe that's your brother"...

Yes, I can relate to this. One of mine used to come to our house for Sunday dinner after my Grandad died, then some years later my other grandad died and so the other granny also started coming on Sundays. It felt very strange to have them both in the same room at the same time, I think it was the only time I ever saw it (obviously they'd both been at my parents wedding, before I was born!)

What’s stranger for me is that both sets of grandparents knew each other. They used to drink in the same pub.
That’s how my parents met.

Both sets of grandparents were separate and I don’t ever recall seeing them together. The only possible time that both grandmothers would have been present was at my dad’s funeral 40 years ago but as they were both in their 80’s when he died they possibly were not able to attend. We didn’t have family gatherings as such ( think there was feeling that each family thought their child “married beneath them”). Thank goodness it’s not like that now.

It was unusual, my Mother's brother married my Father Dsis, so families were slightly entwined. I remember seeing DGP together occasionally at funerals, it was rare.

My children only saw both sets of grandparents together a handful of times. My parents have since died so it won't be happening again.

Yes, I can relate. My two sets of grandparents rarely met - and one set was divorced and would not be in the same room, so I never ever saw all four together. My parents and my in-laws have been in the same room together but that is vanishingly rare too. I have stepchildren but my parents are completely uninterested in them and seemed actively to avoid having to see them even when they lived with us. There was nothing problematic about the behaviour of the stepchildren to cause such avoidance.

The first time my grandparents met was at my parents’ wedding. They couldn’t communicate as one set were Italian and the other Welsh. I doubt they were ever in the same country again 🤣.

My kids grandmothers never met. My mum was extremely quiet and very uncomfortable in social situations (very socially awkward). The other granny was very sociable and confident. Both lovely grannies but they would never have been friends (down to my mum). They didn’t live anywhere near each other. Both gone now.

My mum and dad grew up in different countries. Their parents never met each other, dad’s folks couldn’t afford to go to the wedding in mum’s country. It’s only now hit me how odd this is! I can’t imagine not knowing my DIL’s parents!

Yes grandparents didn’t get on- one set looked down on the other for being ‘common’ and the other set v religious and suspicious of people not from their religion.

I keep MIL apart from my parents. In part because we lived abroad so didn’t do family parties for DC when small but MIL refused to come wedding dress shopping or to my hen do and made it clear she had no interest in socialising with my family.

TBH they have little in common and would be stressful for DH and I. Also aware DC are much closer to my parents and it would upset MIL (who is given ample opportunity to see the DC but has a big gender preference for my nieces).

My grandparents met up semi regularly. Christmas, new year etc plus a few social meet ups. They were always very formal though. Always addressed each other as Mrs x and Mrs y, never first names. In contrast my parents and in-laws have always got on great. My mil is widowed now, and my parents travelled 21/2 hours to the funeral. We've been on joint holidays and have just booked to go away together again.

I didn't see them at the same time because they had different lives living in different places. Only recall my first communion or events like that. They ended living with us in our big family house when they were old and need a hand or became widows/widower. All was fine. They played cards/dominos together in the afternoon and taught us to play along some magic tricks.

l think the only time my grandmother's were in the same room was my parents wedding and then the Christenings of my sister and I. It would have been VERY strange to see both sides of the family mixing.

I think of it had happened when I was a child I would have been similarly weirded out haha

No lol my parents divorced when I was 4 but the grandparents kept seeing each other for years and years. In fact we lived down the street from one set and the other set would visit them without stopping in to see us 😅

Yes I get that. I am a grandmother and there are incredibly few times when I might be in the same place at the same time as the other grandparents. Likely to only be events such as weddings of a grandchild I think.

Now I think about it, my kids are about to have the same experience as I'm bringing my mum with me to meet my MIL who lives abroad, for the first time since they were born.

My paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather had lunch with us every Sunday and would have met each other at various family events, celebrations.

All DDs grandparents are deceased but prior to that, my parents and DPs father all knew each other and would meet at family celebrations.
It would be really unusual in my circle for both sets of grandparents to not know each other ( bar family fall out or distance preventing meeting)

If this was not your norm, then I can see how it would feel odd in the moment:

My parents have met DH’s parents once - at our wedding. Our kids aren’t christened so that opportunity didn’t present itself and our sets of parents live a 3 hour drive apart so their paths just don’t cross. Neither set of parents are bothered by this set up.

I come from a big, very close, noisy family which would likely terrify and overwhelm my quite sedate in laws so probably for the best…..