Should You Treat Your Children or Grandchildren Equally?
My children and grandchildren have different needs, so a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
“Are you going to take all your grandchildren on a cruise? That could get expensive,” one friend remarked, and she’s right. I have 12 grandchildren.
This year, I gave my 18-year-old granddaughter a special graduation gift. I took her and her mother on a cruise to the Greek Islands. She has a severely autistic brother, so her family never takes vacations, and this was a way to provide them with a unique opportunity to see some of the world.
But I’ve already missed the boat on treating the other ones equally. Three of my grandchildren graduated from high school without an all-expense paid trip.
I wasn’t even sure when they graduated. They were homeschooled and took classes at the local community college while they were still in high school. The transition from high school to college was so gradual I didn’t know when it occurred.
When I think back over the years, I realize I’ve never treated my children or grandchildren equally. One year, I took three grandchildren, along with their parents, to Discovery Cove in Florida. I paid for everything since their family couldn’t afford it.
