7. Make outrageous claims about how pregnancy works.
Even the smartest grandparents can sometimes mistake “something I heard” for “medical information,” especially in terms of pregnancy and child rearing. However, if you’re a grandparent to be who wants to enjoy an active role in your grandchild’s life, it’s always important that you keep those opinions on whether or not pregnant women should swim in the ocean, how dangerous it is to raise your arms over your head, or which pregnancy dreams are actually premonitions, to yourself.
Of course, if you do want to appease an overzealous grandparent, you can always take the high road: “You don’t have to take the advice they are giving to you, but do respect that they have been through this before, so don’t close your mind too much just in case something they say could actually help you and baby,” suggests Dr. Kulaga.
8. Play good cop/bad cop with parents.
Grandparents get to do all the fun and cool stuff with their grandkids without having to do the actual childrearing, meaning that parents and grandparents often find themselves at odds with one another.
This tends to worsen when grandparents take a “good cop/bad cop” approach with parents, arguing for later bedtimes, extra treats, or calling parents out on those times when they’re forced to prioritize their child’s safety over non stop fun. They certainly wouldn’t have liked it from their parents when they had small children, so why should you?
