I never knew that people used non-related baby-sitters until I read "The Baby-sitters Club" books. That idea was so foreign to me.

I had a lot of younger cousins. Many times, starting when I was 9 or 10, my mom would drop me off at relatives' houses for them to baby-sit me. I would occupy their toddlers while the adults did office work, cleaned, etc. When I was 11, I watched my 2year-old cousin while my aunt ran her family business office in their house. We had such a great time. They had dogs which I loved, and a bunch of Disney Movies. I convinced my cousin to watch Little Mermaid over and over again.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you work full time, then you drop your kids off for 1-2 weekend nights every weekend. That's overkill.

wrong thread einstein

LOL!

Anonymous wrote:OP, you work full time, then you drop your kids off for 1-2 weekend nights every weekend. That's overkill.

wrong thread einstein

OP, you work full time, then you drop your kids off for 1-2 weekend nights every weekend. That's overkill.

I remember my cousins and I being really tight. My mom and her siblings had kids in clusters so there are like 7 of us within a few years, then another few in another cluster. We would stay at my aunt/uncles house in the summer because she was the only SAHM out of the three sisters. We'd walk 13 blocks to the pool and stay the entire day, walk back and demolish dinner. I loved when my aunt made lasagna! My cousins and I used to sneak food into the movies together and we had a whole system. We got in lots of mischief together, but we were united. We would all be punished together because nobody was willing to snitch on the other. Pissed our parents off, but I think they admired us for that too. In the summer, we'd go down to NC to see our other aunt and cousins. We'd go for long walks, shoot BB guns, etc.

I remember my mom was the "fun" one because she played like a big kid with all of us, wrestling, tickling, getting on the slides on the playground. She would surprise my cousins. siblings and I by taking us on random outings on weeknights...go kart racing, skating, etc.

I spent Friday nights with my grandparents. Both sides, we alternated. My paternal grandma got me hooked on Blueberry donuts from Dunkin Donuts. We would go first thing in the morning to pick up donuts and coffee (and juice). And then we'd go shopping downtown. I always had the prettiest dresses. I was so happy to follow her anywhere. She made the best peach cobbler! I remember hating vegetables, but grandma's were different.lol My granddad would make fried corn because he knew I loved it. My sister loved his ribs. I remember one year, she asked Santa Claus for a "rib-making machine" for Christmas. She was so serious! She said she wanted to make grandpa's ribs anytime. We still tease her about that!

My other aunt was like a second mom to me. She used to pick me up from school often just because she liked having me around. I loved playing with her dog and hanging out with her and her friends who were so sophisticated to me. lol She didnt have kids until I was in my teens. She has always been there for me. When I was 24 and saving for a house, she told me to take her basement and stay as long as I wanted. Didn't charge me a dime.

tai four = take our

We grew up with extended family, so it was pretty awesome.

MIL would never tai four kids overnight. If she did (wouldn't happen), it would be for some weird bragging rights she feels entitled to. Yup, it somehow always all about her. Ew.

My dad is one of eight and mt grandmas sister had nine. Both families rent two huge houses and vacation together every year. Its probably 50+ people now. They've done it for 60 years. That time spent with my family every year is so precious to me

When my aunt, uncle, and two cousins visited from out of state every summer, they stayed at my grandparents' large house. My brother and I would stay over for almost the whole week as well just to hang out with everyone. We would make up games and go swimming all day. At night all the adults would come over for dinner.

There was a tradition of my uncle taking the four of us to Toys R Us, and each kid got to pick something out. I don't remember him setting a price limit, but may be we all just had sense enough to know what was reasonable. Each kid had their turn, and we all followed them around the whole store while they searched for what they would get. This would take a whole afternoon to buy four toys. One year I got a My Little Pony.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: Lastly, I put a horse sticker on her purse one day, and she left it there for months. My mother NEVER would have let me put a sticker on her purse.

Do you think your mother would now let your child put a horse sticker on her purse?

Absolutely not. I know she wouldn't. And she would be disgusted and disappointed with me for raising a child who would dare to touch her things without permission, ESPECIALLY when the stickiness from the sticker would get on the leather of her 10 yr old Coach pocketbook.

Anonymous wrote: Lastly, I put a horse sticker on her purse one day, and she left it there for months. My mother NEVER would have let me put a sticker on her purse.

Do you think your mother would now let your child put a horse sticker on her purse?

What memorable stories...

I spent overnights with grandparents, aunts, great aunts, and even my mother's first cousins when I was a child. Apparently when I was 18 months old - and upon arriving after a multi-day cross country drive from the west coast back east to see family - my great aunt asked if I wanted to go home with her for the night and I leaned right out of my mom's arms and went with her. I love that my extended family loved and wanted me and that my parents trusted them enough to let me go. I have absolutely wonderful memories.

I loved staying with my grandparents. I'd stay in the bedroom my mother grew up in. My grandma would scratch my back at night. She'd take me to the library every couple of days and always stashed a plastic bag in her purse to help carry home the huge stack of books I wanted.

She always picked out the best fruit. She was my biggest cheerleader and I really respected that even though she hadn't gone to college because "in my day women didn't do that" she was very well-read and interesting.

Lastly, I put a horse sticker on her purse one day, and she left it there for months. My mother NEVER would have let me put a sticker on her purse.

I didn't want to derail the other thread with my own story. But whenever these threads about children spending time with grandparents come up, I stop and think of some wonderful times I had as a child sleeping over at relatives' houses.

I remember staying over my grandparents' house and the smallest things would just seem so wonderful. They were the only people I knew at the time who had central AC, and she had the best blankets. When we ate cereal, she would put my milk in a little pitcher and let me pour it myself. She would let us make dough from flour and water. We would make it into shapes, and then she would fry them in a pan so we could eat them. I guess since they were retired, they had more time to clean up that mess than my parents ever did. My grandfather would take us to a flea market and give us a dollar to spend.

My other grandmother didn't have central AC, but she let us eat whatever junk food we wanted, and some that I didn't even know existed. Candy, junky cereal, white bread...

Anyone else have a childhood like this?