Grandma explains why she always respects how her children choose to parent their kids

Social media platforms play a huge part in helping raise awareness of different parenting styles that older generations might not be familiar with. So, when grandparents today are tasked with babysitting, they often receive instructions on how to do it. Or at least that’s what a TikTok creator joked about in her video while holding her grandchild. In response to that video, @gwenith_rachelle, a mother of five children and a grandmother to one, shared her thoughts and perspective on it.

The video which was stitched with Gwenith’s response showed the woman picking up a list of instructions left by her kids for her to follow while babysitting her grandchild. The text overlay on her video reads: "Instructions, really!?" But Gwenith had her own take on this matter. Gwenith appeared in a now-viral video while resting her grandson on her knees as she speaks to the camera.

"So, I do this with my son and daughter-in-law when I watch my grandson. I ask them for their instructions, on his, you know, when he needs his bottles, what foods, anything I ask permission because I respect them as parents,” she explains. “I think there’s no quicker way to disrespect your grown adult children than to, kind of have that mentality of, 'I had kids so I know what I’m doing.'"

Grandma Gwenith goes on to elaborate how she had not one but five kids and she still asks her son and daughter-in-law for permission when it comes to babysitting her grandson. "I still ask for permission for you know, for his schedule, what they want to be done with them, what they don’t, it’s just a respect thing," she continues.

"I really don’t think that it’s good to belittle your children," she proclaims at the end. Despite the post getting millions of views and likes ever since it was shared, the video received mixed reactions from Gwenith’s audience on TikTok. Some supported her idea and others criticized her for not taking the other creator’s video as a light-hearted joke. Some netizens also shared their opinions on whether or not grandparents should receive a list of instructions from their kids when they offer to babysit their grandchildren.

@jesus.reigns shared a personal experience with babysitting and wrote: "My sister's rules were overbearing like don’t pick up if they cry during nap time routine. Don’t hold them till they fall asleep. I couldn’t." @neverofffreds wrote: "This is what is wrong with this world kids. They know they will be better than their parents. Okay but don’t bring them to me for babysitting. Do it your way."

@macd408 dropped a bit of criticism and commented: "That’s fine but what you are missing is this, doing everything by the book their way actually hurts a child’s ability to adapt to different environments." @tatianaavilan added: "I know it’s the bare minimum, but thank you for respecting your son & DIL’s parenting routine. I wish more people were like you." As long as the kids are raised right, parenting style or the role of grandparents in it won't really affect the child negatively.