I guess I'm not a very good Nana.
My youngest daughter, 27, and her two little girls, 7 and 5, have lived with my DH and I since before the first little girl one was born. We have a very small house. For it to look clean, everything has to be in it's place. Of course, with kids, comes lots and lots and lots of toys, clothes, messes, and clutter. While they were living with us, I managed to turn a blind eye to all that, but now that they have their own place (it's been 2 months), I still haven't gotten used to the house just being me and my DH and, frankly, I love it. It's really nice to be alone after so long. My DH and I were married just a few months before my daughter moved back home pregnant with #1, so my DH and I have never really had time to live together, just the two of us and to be 'newlyweds'. My DD moved out to try and make it work with the dad, just long enough to get pregnant again, but it didn't work out so she moved back in again. I wasn't pleased with the outcome, but as a mother I had to help my daughter when she needed it for as long as she needed it. Finally, at 28 and with a profession as a hair stylist, she can be on her own.
So, as much as I love, love, love my g'kids, I also love having that alone time with my DH and the clean and uncluttered house that we have now. Not nearly the amount of cleaning, less laundry, less messes, less noise, less stress. Plus I have two bedrooms and a bathroom back. One room is my sewing room now and the other is a bedroom with bunkbeds for the g'kids when they spend the night.
I still watch the two girls two evenings a week when my daughter works late and most every weekend, so it's nice to see them occasionally, and then watch them go to their own place. I have to admit that I love having my house 'back' and enjoy time with my DH, and sewing, gardening and relaxing.
My oldest daughter and her husband have two beautiful children who also live nearby but they are settled, and don't 'rely' on us as much for help as my single-mom daughter has.
I'm a bad Nana.
