Dear Queenie,
I have 6 sons and daughters and they all have children of their own. I love my grandchildren and I like to take care of them whenever I can, but sometimes when one of my children asks me to babysit I have something else planned or I just need some time to rest up.
Queenie, at a time like that how do I tell them I don’t want to be with my grandchildren?—Busy grandma
Dear Grandma,
At a time like that you tell your children you are sorry, but you have something else planned that cannot be cancelled, or you are too tired and cannot be sure of giving the grandchild(ren) the attention they will need, and ask your children to tell you further in advance when they are going to want you to babysit.
Of course, that does not allow for last minute “emergencies”, so it would help if you know someone reliable to whom you can refer your children when you are not available.
