Here’s the number one way to win “Grandparent of the Year” in my book – offer to baby-sit the grandkids as much as possible!
I’m very fortunate…my parents watch my kids a lot! Every weekend my dad will offer to watch the kids so that hubby and I can go out together. It is so important to do things as a couple (or even by yourself) and we all know it’s pretty much impossible if you don’t have reliable people to watch your kids. I’m also very fortunate that my parents watch my kids one day a week while I work, so my kids get a ton of good grandparent time.
The other benefit of grandparents watching the kids is that a wonderful relationship is established between the grandkids and the grandparents. I know some people that have parents that watch their kids once a year while they go on a mini-trip or something and the kids are screaming as the parents leave because they really have no idea who these people are that they are left with.
Now of course, this is intended for those grandparents that live close enough to make this a possibility. For those that don’t, make sure that when you’re visiting or when your kids are visiting you that you offer to watch the kids at least once during the trip so that your kids can have a little break!
So piece of advice #1: Baby-sit those adorable little munchkins so your kids can have a break!
The Ultimate Grandparents 
I’m SO sending this link to Jimmy’s parents and hope they get the hint 🙂
What you said here is so true–Morgan doesn’t see my Mom very often, so when she does, it takes her some time to warm up. Same with Jimmy’s mom. His Dad and step-mother live 10 minutes from us and see her once a week. They never offer to take her for us, when we do ask them, it feels more like a chore for them to arrange their schedule. They love her to death and love spending time with her, but it just feels like they have to be “pushed” into it. SO not the case when I was growing up–my grandparents took my sister and I for two or three weeks in the summer, long weekends, etc. As a result, my Gram and I are so very close and I have some awesome memories from growing up. From the sounds of it, your parents are fantastic grandparents and your kids are so lucky 🙂
My parents would totally do this if they lived closer…but whenever we see them they do.
I am going to forward this to my Mom!
This is a really neat blog, too! How cool!