Wanting grandchildren

[Revoltingrhyme]

Saw a post before, just a silly meme about parents wanting grandkids and people getting cats instead and a woman had commented ‘I want a human grandchild’ and it made me fall down a rabbit hole of thoughts.

What actually is the appeal of actively wanting grandchildren? Is it that you get the bond with a child without any of the parenting responsibilities? Or seeing your kids continue the family tree?

but also is it not somewhat rude to want somebody else to reproduce for your own enjoyment when you already had your opportunity raising a child? Genuinely just curious about this.

It's only weird when it starts impacting the parents of potential GC.

Once saw an FB meme “Grandchildren are the reward for everything you’ve done right in life”

I mean, what the actual fuck?

I am delighted to be a grandparent. Yes I'm really hoping my only son and DIL have another. But it's their choice and it's been and is a total joy being involved in dgc life.

Of course it's fine for people to want grandchildren - each to their own, and all that.
It's absolutely NOT fine to express those thoughts to your adult children, or to judge those ACs if they don't provide the babies you want. And don't think that doesn't happen, because I can assure you that it really does.

The op seems confused about why people want them at all.

Some will, some won’t. The absence of desire for children was as innate in me as the desire for them is in others. I didn’t choose against having children, I’ve simply never wanted them. Nothing to do with my parents, who were and are great.

It is normal to want them. Just don't put pressure on your kids to have them - that is not acceptable.

Our Jewish side see it as carrying on the family name. I mean who even cares if there's anyone left once you're dead anyway.

But for all the other reasons of just enjoying babies, especially ones in your family then of course it's not weird to want grandchildren

I see Jewish friends feeling a specific cultural pressure to have children from parents and grandparents for whom the Holocaust is a running sore whose consequences they grew up with.

@MaudGonneOutForChips yes true. The same reason a lot of Jewish mothers want their boys to marry Jewish women

I think it’s normal. My kids are still little, but I can see how nice it must be for new children to be added to the family. Especially without the sleepless nights! However the full on grandparent mania does irritate me - MIL has calmed down a little now the kids are older but she was SO crazy full on when they were little and would never listen to our guidance as she was so excited and full of enthusiasm, it was really tough to navigate. My Mum was a bit more sedate thankfully.

Absolutely fine thanks for asking.

Grandchildren steal a part of your heart you never knew existed.