The role of grandparents includes a variety of responsibilities, ranging from childcare to providing advice to new parents. However, every grandparent should establish and maintain boundaries for their duties.

Even the most careful grandparents can make slipups now and then, whether by going against the parents’ wishes or insisting on different parenting strategies.

Here are some things grandparents should never do:

• Pick favorites.
• Give advice when not asked to.
• Suggest (or worse, insist on) names for a new baby.
• Go against the parents’ rules or disregard their rules about discipline.
• Break meal and bedtime rules.
• Criticize parents in front of grandparents.
• Repeat your parenting strategies.
• Compare grandchildren to their parents.
• Reward challenging behaviors.
• Provide unlimited screen time.
• Post about grandkids on social media without parents’ permission.
• Spoil grandchildren too much.
• Provide an unlimited amount of treats.
• Criticize parents’ disciplining methods, educational choices, and other decisions.
• Ask grandchildren to reveal secrets about their parents.
• Shower grandchildren with gifts.