I remember a friend's comment: "When the going gets tough, the tough goes to Grandma." She was relating her daughter's relationship with her Grandma.

It struck a chord with me because my parents (the main caregivers for Maegan during the week) were away on a holiday just last week. For that, I took three days of leave, and asked my mother-in-law down for the other two days to keep an eye on Maegan. But oh did I miss having my parents around.

You see, Maegan is very close to her grandparents, in a good way, of course. She's there first thing every morning from Mondays to Fridays, and stays there till we return home for dinner every weekday night. By the time she leaves her grandparents' home, it's close to 9pm in the evening.

My husband and I make it a point to bring her home every night, so that we do not depend too much on my parents to take care of her.

But last week when they were away, I fully appreciated the work my parents put in every day for Maegan. The reason I say this is because I was so exhausted trying to keep up with her, making sure she has a fun activity to do for each day, and trying to understand her toddler whims (which are increasing by the way).

Her schedule at her grandparents consists of playing with her two boxes of toys when she steps into the house, being fed delicious food from her grandma when they come home from the market or hawker centre. If she's tired, she takes a short nap. If not, she gets to go on a chauffeured bicycle ride with her Grandpa.

After that, she potters around the house, checking out if her Uncle is at home, going from room to room and generally providing loads of laughter and antics for her grandparents to translate into stories for us, in the evening.

In the afternoon, Grandma takes over by bringing her down to my Auntie's garment shop where she gets to play with different uncles and aunties (all good employees from there), an occasional treat of biscuits, and more entertainment from different individuals. Sometimes she even troops down to NTUC with Grandma, who teaches her the finer points of good broccoli, yummy bananas, and even stocks up on nectarines and peaches when they are in season because Maegan???s taken a fancy to them.

In between the daylight hours that's left, Grandma brings her swimming at the pool downstairs, sings songs to her, and spoils her silly at times with "ironing-board" toys and "masak-masak" or kitchen-ware replicas that are safe for kids.

Of course, I credit my good Indonesian helper for being constantly around to help out in the daily chores but I realised it's that Grandparents-grandaughter relationship that Maegan so enjoys.

And while I do sometimes frown at certain things they do that may spoil her, I realise that they are her Grandparents and that I should not expect them to constantly keep to the same exacting standards that we as parents may have on her.

And it's simply because as my colleague says it: "We were so busy working in our younger days, we never got to enjoy our children. Now we have time to spend it on our grandchildren."

With time on their hands, Maegan is all the richer for her grandparents??? time with her, and I am ever more appreciative that both of them are willing to play a role in her life.