Dear Annie: Our children need our help parenting their kids

Dear Annie: We reside only six miles from one of our children and 25 miles from the other. If we don’t go to their house to help with something, we hardly see them. They have full-time jobs, which require a lot of overtime, and they volunteer, run kids all over for sporting events and do their best to keep up with daily life requirements. Yes, I’d love for them to visit, but in reality, they are running on fumes.

So we do our best to help them out by driving kids to practices, tossing a load of dishes in the dishwasher, walking the dog, sitting on the mower with the tunes on and cutting the lawn, weed whacking, bringing trash cans up, or just being there for them if they need it. — Understanding Grandparents

Dear Understanding: I am so impressed with the level of understanding and empathy you have toward the phase that your children are at in their lives. You sound like wonderful grandparents who are very understanding, and I very much appreciate your telling your story. Hopefully, it will inspire other grandparents.

Read more Dear Annie and other advice columns.

“How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?” is out now! Annie Lane’s second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit Creators Publishing for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to [email protected].