 Speaking as a mil and grandmother
I do feel for your situation and think it is wonderful that you and your hubby want to be full time caretakers for your step daughter. I can't help wondering though how involved grandmother was in this child's care during the time before you and your husband married. If grandmother has spent several of this 5 yr old's life closely involved in her care, she probably feels very lost and unneeded at this time. I am surprised though that grandmother doesn't need a good rest. I have cared for two of my grandchildren, 2 & 5, while their parents worked. It was quite an adjustment for them this year when they began attending school and preschool. I still love them dearly and keep each of them separately at least one night a week. I am 57 and find I need these other days to recover. It is rough on an older person to care for toddlers several hours a day and if she did this, she probably did not have the energy to develop other areas of interest. I am sure, that in time, she will adjust and hope that this time of adjustment will not damage your relationship with her to the detriment of your family. Good luck and God bless. |