My children grandparents live just 5 minutes away and they get to see them often - there is something special about grandparents, thus they not fully responsible for raising the child (in most cases), they get to have a fun part in the grandkids lives. Grandparents get to spoil the kids - you can always be the "fun" grandma or grandpa - this is why grandchildren have a special relationship with grandparents.
I love having my mother-in-law around, the children adore her, and she is very special to us all. She lives alone, just how she likes it, and she has family around her that care a lot for her. Unfortunately, not everyone has that, people are out there that are alone, and they don't have the support network of a family around them. Recent research from the group Campaign to End Loneliness has shown how detrimental loneliness can be to a person’s health, especially for older people, thus for me it is really important to spend time with my elderly relatives, you just never know what is around the corner, and it really doesn't take much time or effort to organize a simple meal.
Sunrise Senior Living the residential care specialists are running a campaign to raise awareness about loneliness in old age, and we were invited to take part, of course, I said 'yes'. The idea was to hold a meal, play a few games and just to spend some valuable time with my mother-in-law.
For our evening, I cooked Smoke Paprika and Red Onion Chicken. Which turned out very yummy and Mother-in-Law loved it (mind you, she loves and appreciates anything hubby or myself cook for her)!
After dinner we sat at the table and played Family Trivial Pursuit, everyone joined in and it was so much fun - lots of laughter. We teamed up, Hubby and Jacob was one team, Lewis and Mother-in-Law the second team and then there was Summer and myself. Being the family edition, the kids were able to answer some of the questions, and everyone enjoyed it.
So why not take the time out to host a meal or lunch and invite your parents, grandparents, neighbours or anyone that you think might be feeling lonely. #dontdinealone
