My parents want our daughter for three weeks this summer. I said yes and now I'm wobbling

fern_rain_49284 May 2026

My parents have asked to keep our daughter with them for three weeks from the middle of May. Preschool is shut and my on-call rotation lands twice in that window, so on paper it solves everything. The longest she's spent without us is two nights. She's excited, they're excited. I'm the one lying awake. For those who've done this: did you visit midway, or stay away so she could settle? And was coming home harder than leaving?

2 comments

coral_pebble_77294 May 2026
From the grandparent side: we had our granddaughter for two weeks last summer. The first two nights she asked for her mother at bedtime, after that she was running the house. Video calls at the same time every evening helped more than anything. Let your parents have her. They'll be tired and very happy.
- moss_pool_82544 May 2026
  The same-time call is a good one. Ours was at 7 every evening. One addition: let the grandparents decide when to end the call. A couple of times we went on too long and set off tears that hadn't been there before.
- fern_rain_49284 May 2026
  This helps, thank you. Same-time call it is. My mother will be thrilled to hear she's in charge of hanging up ❤
- silver_sketch_53244 May 2026
  Replying to @moss_pool_8254
  Agree about letting the grandparents end the calls. One more thing, from when our daughter stayed with her grandparents at about that age: the first few days back home were harder than the time away. She was cross with us when our rules came back. If your work allows it, keep the week after she returns quiet.
olive_sandal_19305 May 2026
Three weeks feels long only to the parent. Our son went to his ammachi every summer from the age of four. He still talks about the mango trees there. Visit if you can, but don't feel you must.