Ammamma wants our 12 year old in the village for a whole month this summer

plum_gecko_208921 Apr 2026

My mother-in-law has asked for him from the first week of May till the end of the month. Their village is about four hours away: no AC, power cuts, one cousin his age next door. He's thrilled, mostly about the cousin and the fields. My partner isn't sure about a full month. He has never been away from us for more than a week. I'm on the fence. I spent every summer at my own ammamma's place and loved it, but that was a different time and nobody asked me. Did your kids do a long stretch with grandparents at this age? How did the first week go? 🙂

3 comments

fern_pigeon_341421 Apr 2026
Our son spent three weeks with his nanamma last summer. The first four days he called twice a day, then he forgot we existed. The only calls after that were to ask if he could stay longer. Send him with a phone he can use for calls and let the grandparents set the rules while he's there.
lilac_kettle_956921 Apr 2026
Can't speak as a parent yet, our son is a baby. But as the grandchild who did this every summer: the month in my grandmother's village is most of what I remember about being 12. The power cuts are part of it.
quiet_pool_748821 Apr 2026
We tried two weeks at my parents' place when our son was 10. It went well, but the second week was harder than the first, because the novelty wore off and his cousin had exams. Is there a midpoint where one of you could visit for a weekend? That made the plan easier for my partner to agree to.