I grew up with my grandparents living close enough to see on a regular basis. I relished the times I would spend with them. They gave me the love and guidance I wanted, but without that parental overtone. It was something special, different. Unfortunately, my husband and I had children latter in life, too late for our parents to be a part of their grandchildren’s lives. It is one of our biggest regrets that our children won’t have grandparents of their own to spend time with.
So, after much discussion we decided to find them a pair of grandparents. Someone to teach them empathy and respect for their elders. Someone to share stories about a time when cell phones weren’t a reality. We stumbled upon a website called Rentafriend.com and decided to check it out. On the website you can rent individuals of different ages for all sorts of things. We got a membership and were able to start communicating with people we could rent as grandparents for our children. We explained that we aren’t looking for someone to become a member of our family, but to stand in every now and then as grandparents, to simulate what it would be like for our children to spend an afternoon at the park with their parents and grandparents. To have Sunday brunch with mock, rented grandparents and hear stories of what their life was like.
We know our own parents wish they could have been here, but that is no longer a reality. We like to think that they would be pleased to know that through Rentafriend.com their grandchildren are getting to have a little bit of the “grandparent” experience.