Question
I am not sure how to handle this situation. My parents are visiting from my country. They are here for two weeks and are thrilled to spend time with my kids. My kids are not so thrilled to spend time with them as during the pandemic, my kids got used to socializing with their friends on their iPads and phones. I set screen time limits in order for my kids to spend more time with their grandparents visiting but my kids are really not enjoying it. What do you recommend I do? It is sad for me to be in the middle of this situation….
Answer
The time spent with grandparents needs to be attached to an activity. For example, “we can go to Wynwood walls or somewhere pretty in the city together.”
Tell your kids that meals are going to be done together.
But if you are just sitting around the living room talking it’s not necessarily appropriate to expect your kids to want to stick around.
Make sure to predict for your kids when they are expected to be with you and the grandparents. Let them plan social time around the responsibility of being with their grandparents.
Also, remind the grandparents that they are loved by their grandchildren. But very few older kids, especially American kids, yes you are raising bi-cultural kids who follow both your countries and the American cultures - want to spend hours talking and catching up with adults.