grand kids

We are 62 yrs old and have 10 grandchildren ages 18-2. They live in NY,OH and CA. Since we have been FT (17 yrs) we don't get to spend a lot of time with any of them, but we travel across country every year to see them. This year and last we spent 3-4 months back east for an extended visit which includes time with elderly parents. The grandchildren are great but to tell you the truth I think we sometimes place too much value on how important we feel we are to them. They seem to get along very well without us and have very complete lives whether we are there or not. When I was little I saw my grandparents in church and occasionally went to their house and they lived only a couple of miles away. When I was a teen my one grandmother lived with us for 6 months each year and went on vacations with us. I didn't like that very much but I am a lot more active with my grandkids than she was. Don't get me wrong, I love my grandchildren. I love hearing "Grandma,Grandma,Grandma" for hours on end but I am very relieved when they go home. And I love the peace and quiet of just me and my DH driving down the road. Until this year we have worked and have not been able to take any of them with us but now that we are retired it could be an option.