When grandparents, parents, and children live together, they do most
things together, too.
Four parents to a family
“Over the river and through the woods, To grandfather’s house we go;
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through the white and drifted snow.”
That’s part of an old American song about a happy Thanksgiving Day visit
to grandpa and grandma’s house. In many places, such a visit is a big
event. Grandchildren and grandparents often live far apart. They may see
one another only at special times.
But in some places, children, parents, and grandparents often live
together. They would think it strange to live far apart.
On many farms in Norway there are two houses. The grandparents live in
one house. Their son and his wife and children, or their daughter and
her husband and children, live in the other house. They all share a
happy life together on the farm.
In Japan, grandparents often live with their oldest
son and his family. Everyone is glad to have them in the house. When a
new baby comes, the grandmother takes charge of the next littlest child.
This leaves the mother free to care for the baby. The grandmother and
the child she takes care of become very close. This child is often known
as “grandmother’s child.”
On many Norwegian farms, the grandparents have a house close to their
son’s house. This makes it easy for them to visit their grandchildren.
