9. Refuse to dole out any discipline.
Letting kids have free rein with no consequences can quickly turn a good relationship between parents and grandparents into a bad one. “Explain how it can mentally and physically run you down as a parent when the child comes home with broken boundaries. Many times, grandparents will try harder to respect your rules when you address them in this manner,” says Dr. Kulaga. “That being said, allow the grandparent some flexibility and fun still to spoil their grandchild.”
10. React negatively to a grandchild’s potential name.
If grandparents want to avoid the ire of the parents to be in their life, it’s best for them to keep their opinions to themselves. After all, there’s probably someone in the family who thought the baby names they doled out were pretty uninspired, too. Sometimes providing your child with a middle name that the grandparents like could help ease this issue.
