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?

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

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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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 🤣.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!)

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"...

Nannageddon!

My two Nanas were best friends! ❤️

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.

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

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!!

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!

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,

I had similar! They lived quite far apart and we rarely had overlapping events. When they did see each other they were always delighted to see each other, but never went past calling each other Mrs X and Mrs Y.

I don't remember my two grandmothers ever being in the same room, and they lived in the same small town. My relationship with them was very separate and very different.

My parents only met DH's parents twice, the first time was at our wedding. It was harder though, as they lived in different countries.

My in-laws used to see a lot of their other DIL's parents; they became great friends and had a close relationship.

Hahahaha in my family this is called “crossing the streams” and we all feel weird about it and all avoid it all costs lol glad to know we’re not the only weirdos!

So you’re not young Charlie Bucket?

Same with mine. Just because my mum and dad got married did not mean that their respective grandparents suddenly became besties. They did meet on occasion e.g. my Dad's 40th and were perfectly cordial but it was very rare and something I took note of.