Grannies in the same room, at the same time

[LaudCodec]

When I was kid, my grandparents were completely separate. I never saw them in the same room as one another, and they never really mentioned each other. There was no animosity, they were just separate.

Then one day both my grandmothers were in the same room, at the same time, and spoke to each other. I forget why but it’s indelibly etched in my psyche. My God, it was like when Pacino and De Niro met on screen for the first time in “Heat”. Like two separate worlds colliding.

Can anyone relate?

No.

Noted.

I can see why that would have been weird, OP.

I think people underestimate how much kids notice these kinds of things.

Ha! This is brilliant.

It was certainly a rare occurrence. Worlds collide.

Yes, my parents' parents lived 3 hours apart and they only ever met twice after the wedding (and I was in my late thirties before any of them died). I was there for the second and third meetings (age about 18 I suppose, and then about 32) and it did feel just like that, very weird. Even weirder how they were all getting on like they'd been best friends forever. I liked one set and not the other so found it odd the "nice" ones would like the "not nice" ones. I suppose that's part of why they were so nice - they would make the effort to get on with anyone.

I do understand what you mean though I’ve never thought about it like that before. I suspect the only time my grandparents all met was just before and at my parents wedding. Growing up, I considered both families completely separate entities.

I love this!Only one set of grandparents here, but maybe the feeling is a little like when you see a teacher out of school when you are very young.

I can’t remember my maternal and paternal grandparents meeting, they probably did at my parents wedding.

My parents never met my in-laws either (we eloped so no wedding) so ds never saw his together either.

No, not really. My family, mostly, live within an hour or so of one another, in various directions. It was very common for entire family to get together at my mum's house for all our birthdays (4 kids) Easter, Christmas. My mum's house is the place we congregate.

Yes! I hadn't realised it till I read this, but very little mixing in my family too!

I just a gran on my Dad's side, and grandad on my mums. We always went to my grans house, she never came to ours! She was lovely though.

My grandad used to come to ours a lot.

I love your description of your grans meeting being like Heat!

For me it was having a set of grandparents that divorced before I was born and both remarried. Then one day realising that they were both married to be each other and finding it extremely weird 😅

This is quite strange and amusing. Has the heat got to you OP? I think most grandparents do usually meet when birthdays, christening etc happen. My paternal nana sadly died years before I was born, but my maternal nana and paternal grandfather once came over and we had a bbq and day out. They got along and sat in the garden chatting quite happily. My maternal grandad had sadly passed away about 3 years prior. My mum and the other grandmother to my sibling's children met at family things and casually if everybody was at sibling's home, but the other grandmother was odd, liked to stir the pot up and made little remarks. That was awkward sometimes, but your situation sounds OTT.

It’s sad that anyone at all whimsical on MN is labelled as strange.

The heat may have got to me! I just wondered to what extent other families were similar, pretty much separate except the odd funeral or similar. Looking back that one occasion is the only time I recall seeing them meet. It was all very friendly, but after that, nothing until my paternal grandmother’s funeral (when, I suppose, they were in the same room in a sense…)

The very idea of my mum meeting my partners parents feels me with horror, the jealousy between grannies would likely be instant, but they'd both try and suppress so strong, but I'd be feeling that tension...

I think what you describe probably isn’t unusual, but my grannies came to lots of family functions together and when one was ill the other visited her in hospital and they got on very well. It was lovely for me as a child.
Now Im older my parents have my inlaws for things like Boxing Day and often meet up for coffee without us. They also invite my parents to all their family events as does sister in law. It’s honestly really nice.

for me it was when my mum's now husband (not my father) met my father's mum (so my grandmother on my father's side). it was just really odd to see two people who "should" never have really met...meeting and talking! i do understand the feeling

Yeah, now you've made me think.
Dms side lived in the same street as us but dfs side lived down south.
We saw maternal GPs every day but I don't recall both sets ever being in the same room, weird.
We'd get shipped of to paternal GPs every summer.
I think maternal GPs thought they were "Posher" than the otherside who were Gypsies and looked down upon.
In reality paternal GPs had more money, nicer house and furnishings, paternal nana always wore a fur coat, red lippy, pencil skirt and heels.
Hmmm . . . slinks off to discuss with dsis's

No - we often had both sets of grandparents at birthdays, Christmas, weddings, christenings and just summer bbqs for no reason or Sunday Lunches. My Grans knew each other very well and got along and would sit and chat at family occasions.

We've been the same with my & DH parents, have even holidayed all together and they were all there at the children's birthdays etc.

I think it's unusual that your families were kept apart really!

I remember realising that my cousins had more cousins that I didn’t know. I went around telling everyone because I thought it was so weird!

I understand what you mean. I think the only photos of both my sets of grandparents together is at my parents wedding. I was very young when maternal grandparents died and dad's parents lived a distance away so we didn't see them much

I don't remember seeing my grandparents all together. My paternal GPs were 20 years older than my maternal ones, and really did seem to be a different generation.
I suppose they were all at my parents wedding, but I'm not sure about Christenings.
The older ones died when I was 8ish, my maternal grandfather and grandmother when I was 11 and 21.

My DCs grandparents definitely know each other. Both grannies have been widowed for over 20 years and have a great chat when they get together.

Absolutely I can relate. In fact, are you my sister?! 😁

Oh yes! Mine didn’t meet as my dad‘s mother thought my mother‘s family were peasants and beneath her (her words)! Strangely it turns out that she was a bitter and strange old lady.

My grandparents were not like that. As my parents had the biggest house, and we were the only grandchildren on both sides, all family events were held at our house and so our grandparents were often in contact with each other. They even went on holiday (without us!) together on a few occasions.

My daughter has never been in the same room with all her 3 grandparents at the same time. There seems to be no interest in either side in forming a relationship - in fact I am not sure they have seen each other since our wedding almost 10 years ago. No animosity, just no desire to have a relationship. It makes me quite sad actually.