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Don't fault your grandmother - ignore your thoughts that she only calls when the others ignore her. Call her. Don't deny your kids any contact with the older generation of the family if it is possible. If it's only an hour away - take the kids to her - at least once.

I still do have a grandmother alive, although I don't know if she remembers she has a great-grandchild; she has Alzheimer's/senile dementia and my aunt who has been living with her and taking care of her for years broke her hip last year.

My Aunt had to place her mother in a nursing home last December. I know this was not an easy decision for my aunt, and the fact that it happened just adds to my problems with my mother - who criticized me and my ex husband to no end when his mother needed to be placed in a nursing home. She swore that no member of her family would ever be put in a nursing home, no matter what.

"Don't fault your grandmother - ignore your thoughts that she only calls when the others ignore her. Call her. Don't deny your kids any contact with the older generation of the family if it is possible. If it's only an hour away - take the kids to her - at least once. "

I did call her originally and return her calls whenever she calls me. She lives/works in a seedy motel that I won't take the kids to. Plus, she travels all the time 4-5 hours to see my aunt and cousin. No reason she can't make the hour drive to see us. She very healthy for her age and has always loved travel. She had very little to do with us growing up either. I'm surprised my dad will even speak to her but he seems to have forgiven her for abandoning him when he was 6mths old because her new boyfriend didn't want her with her child. She left him with her mom and never came back. She despises my mom and cusses at her whenever she speaks to her. She can be a very nasty old lady. I'm not sure I want the kids to meet her because she is just as likely to come over and cuss me out one day out of the blue as she is to just visit and be nice. She use to do that to my parents all the time when I was little. I also don't remember a single Christmas when she was around. Last Christmas was the first time she said she was going to come see the kids and was a no show. I honestly don't think she's ever met any of her great grandchildren. She has quite a few. She has my address though should she ever decide to come over and knows we have an extra bed. The kids have grandparents and great grandparents on hubby's side of the family and grandparents on my side that they see frequently so they are only missing out on one of many.