How well did you treat your parents/grandparents before they died?

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I was -18, 2, 12 (10 year Alzheimers, psychotic bitch from day one) and 15 (major stroke 2 years before I was born) when they died, and didn't live near any of them, so I didn't really treat them at all. I liked the one I did know, the last one to pass. I suppose I treated her well.

Didn't treat them (Paternal grandparents) too well. I should of been more appreciative, and respectful. One of my regrets.

I was blessed to know all four of my grandparents into my adulthood, though all four are gone now. I was close with both sets and as a kid I used to spend time with my cousins at their homes in the summer. As they got older and lost their faculties I went to visit them every opportunity that I had when I was back in my hometown. I have no regrets. I lost my first grandfather when I was about 23 and lost my last grandmother about a year-and-a-half ago (in my late 40's).

I cherished and respected them. Two died suddenly while still in possession of their faculties so I never saw them decline. One declined mentally over a long period, we should have put her in a home earlier but kept fooling ourselves until our hand got forced. Once she went in I visited when I was in town (4 hours away) but it wasn't all that often. The last one was in physical decline long before I was in college, and he passed well after I got married. I didn't see him nearly as often as I should have and I regret that.

so fortunate to still have my parents (and in-law parents) still alive and well into their 60s. i was a confused and terrible son when i was in my 20s, but i strive to make a memory each time i see them. and i try to see them often. i see my in-laws almost every week though. i love them alot. as well as my parents but they are harder to see often but i do communicate with them as often as possible.

Very well, I always drove out to Brooklyn to pickup my great grandfather for family gatherings. He was important to me and always had interesting anecdotes. He was very quiet but would share life experiences if you took the time to listen.

My grandfather on my father's side I didnt know that well, but spoke to on the phone once in a while. I used to make things for him and send them at Christmas. Unfortunately I wasn't old enough to take it upon myself to fly down to visit him. He never came to NJ, but when we went to visit his home for the funeral we found somewhat of a shrine to his grandchildren.

Moms parents passed in the early 90s when I was about 10-11. We spent about one weekend a month with them. They lived 30 minutes away. I enjoyed going over to their house. Not that I had much choice at that age, but I still liked it a lot and I'm glad my parents had us visit them often.

Dads parents are still here, in their mid 90s. They live about 5m away from me. I see them regularly, sometimes while grocery shopping too. Grandpa is urging his grandsons (5 of us, I'm the youngest) to get married soon. It's kind of a bummer, only one of us is really close to that point. He is awesome to be around though and is an honest and genuine ladies man and gentleman. I often try my best to behave as he does.

I'm lucky in that all my grandparents are still alive (I'm 37), the oldest being 92 and still living ten miles outside of town. I also know most of my great-grandparents, one living to just shy of her 100th birthday. All but one are/were kind and wonderful people, the one exception being my very German great-grandmother who died of cancer when I was 7. I have very good relationships with all and was one of only two great-grandchildren to visit the near-centenarian when she was in a nursing home.

I was ok, I guess. I never really new my my maternal grandfather as he passed away when I was very young and to be honest, I don't really have any memories of him. My maternal grandmother also passed when I was very young but I have a few memories of her. I knew both my paternal grandparents and was always around. The only problem was they didn't speak any english and since that's the only language I know, we really didn't communicate very well. Now I feel like I missed out. I could never really sit with them and hear their stories first hand or go to them for advice or just talk.

I'm pretty lucky - two of my grandparents are still alive (I'm 33) and one of them only passed away about 3 years ago. I have enjoyed wonderful relationships with all of them, in different ways. My maternal grandmother speaks no English, save a few words, and I don't speak her language. So I've never actually had a conversation with her. She lives in a relatively underdeveloped part of Asia, and is a Buddhist nun, so our lives are completely different, but we do see each other every 1-2 years when she comes to stay with my folks for 4-6 months at a stretch. It's a very warm and loving relationship despite the language barrier and vast cultural differences. She is a tremendously wise person and I am very lucky to have her as an influence. My maternal grandfather died when I was very young. He was a fascinating, fascinating man and it is one of the great tragedies of my life that I didn't really ever get to know him. I understand I was quite his favorite when I was little, but I have few actual memories. He died when I was about 5. My paternal grandparents and I were closer, as they lived in the area. My grandmother passed a few years ago; she was a very sweet and wonderful person and we miss her a lot. My grandfather was notably less warm and fuzzy - more typical of the men of his generation. In the years since my grandmother has gone, he has moved in with my folks and mellowed greatly. I enjoy a lot more quiet introspective moments with him today than we did when he was much younger and sharper. Today, he is 91 and his capacities are diminishing, but hearing him tell old stories now that I have the perspective of age is a great joy. So all in all I have enoyed very loving and positive relationships with my grandparents. Even if I didn't, I can't imagine why I would ever treat them poorly.

This, except for the last sentence

+1 to this thread. I really appreciate reminders such as this to put things in proper perspective. Need to spend some quality time with my only grandparent that is still living while her faculties are supreme...

I was my grandma's favorite grandchild solely because I was the best looking. It was really funny, actually. She was really good looking back in her day, in teh old country (in this case, Norway), and she was fanatically obsessed with judging people based on their looks. I won, and my brothers and cousins lost. I could have pushed her wheelchair down a flight of stairs, and she'd have forgiven me. My little brother could have quit his job to spend 5 years of his life waiting on her hand and foot, and she wouldn't have cared.

When her time finally came, everyone in my family was suspicious of me and assumed I was going to get the lion's share of her millions. Turned out no one did. She left every cent to charity. God bless that crazy old lady. She did it not out of the kindness of her heart, but as a final "fuck you" to all of us, and that's why I loved her.