Posted yesterday at 1:00 p.m.
Always present
-
![Thérèse and Normand Fournier live near the daycare center attended by their 2-year-old grandson Victor. “Basically, I spoil myself. I will look for it on foot […]. Coming back, I give him his little snack. I take advantage of it a little, and afterwards, we will take him back to his parents', says the grandmother.](https://mobile-img.lpcdn.ca/v2/924x/58c059fa18803cb894d4a1940d194fbd.jpg)
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Thérèse and Normand Fournier live near the daycare center attended by their 2-year-old grandson Victor. “Basically, I spoil myself. I will look for it on foot […]. Coming back, I give him his little snack. I take advantage of it a little, and afterwards, we will take him back to his parents’, says the grandmother.
-
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
The couple always respond when their son, Philippe Fournier, or his daughter-in-law, Myriam Bouchard, need help with their two children. “It’s part of everyday life. Thérèse is lucky to no longer work. Me, I have a super flexible pre-retirement job. […]. We don’t even ask the question. They do not finish their sentence that it is yes, ”says Normand Fournier.
-
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
“When I needed help for Victor who had a health problem, I felt alone. My family comes from Chicoutimi. My mother was far away. At first, I was embarrassed to ask my mother-in-law for help,” recalls Myriam Bouchard. Today, she considers that she has developed a solid bond with her in-laws.
-
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
“My relationship with my parents is excellent and it’s true that they are extremely helpful,” says Philippe Fournier. The idea of a bigenerational house has even already been mentioned. The father of Victor and Albert, 7 months, believes that it is precious to be able to entrust his children to his own parents. “I wish everyone to have this chance. »
1/4
prepare the nest
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Nicolas Deslandes, Julie Beaumier and their son Émile, 3 months
Seeing my dad, my grandpa and my boyfriend working in the new house and getting everything ready before the baby arrives is priceless. […] It’s nice to see everyone getting involved for the arrival of this child. Couldn’t ask for better. […] In a difficult period, I believe that the birth of a baby brings families together even more.
Julie Beaumier, mother of Émile, 3 months, who is grateful for the help and advice received from her parents, grandfather and sister over the past few months
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JULIE BEAUMIER
Julie Beaumier’s mother, Sylvie Beaulieu, and her grandson Émile
Julie’s parents and her sister were very involved. They really helped us a lot. We are lucky.
Nicolas Deslandes, father of Émile, 3 months
First picture with vovo
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VALÉRIA PEREIRA
Miguel Da Silva and his grandsons, Tristan, one and a half, and Arthur, 10
In the photo, Arthur, 10, and Tristan, one and a half, hug their grandfather Miguel Da Silva. “It was their first moment together all three”, explains Valéria Pereira.
The first face-to-face meeting between the toddler and vovo Miguel, who lives in Brazil, took place in December. The moment was moving, recalls the mother who immigrated to Quebec with her spouse and eldest son five years ago.
In the image, however, an important person is missing. “My mother died last year, in June,” says Valéria Pereira.
She consoles herself by telling herself that her mother was very present after Tristan’s birth, despite the distance.
“My mum saw all the stages the baby went through. During my maternity leave, I called my parents all day. Diaper changes, clothes, the bedroom, breastfeeding: they followed me in all the everyday things,” she says.
Tristan’s first blown kiss was given to his grandma, through a screen. “It was really difficult for me, but I knew that my mother was present even if she was not there physically”, says Valéria Pereira.
Indispensable help
-
![Stéphanie Néron is very close to her parents. “We talk to each other about 10 times a day. […] We are pampered because we have a family business, Cycle Néron. When we go to work, we see each other,” she says. After Emrik's birth three years ago, his mother and father naturally wanted to be very present in their grandson's life.](https://mobile-img.lpcdn.ca/v2/924x/0959582977da3565aad4ead4239fa2b3.jpg)
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Stéphanie Néron is very close to her parents. “We talk to each other about 10 times a day. […] We are pampered because we have a family business, Cycle Néron. When we go to work, we see each other,” she says. After Emrik’s birth three years ago, his mother and father naturally wanted to be very present in their grandson’s life.
-
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
“I had the privilege of staying at home with my three children. I wanted Stephanie to have the same choice as me. This is a rather unique moment in the life of a mother. To offer this gift, I find that it is my most important job, ”explains Lisa Toffler, joined by video call while she was at the family chalet.
-
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Thanks to the help of her parents, Stéphanie Néron was able to start working one day a week after the birth of her daughter Mila, 7 months, without having to send her children to daycare. “Without the help of the family, it would not have been possible,” she says.
-
PHOTO MARTIN TREMBLAY, THE PRESS
Cleaning, cooking, babysitting: Lisa Toffler is always ready to help her daughter. What does she particularly like in the role of grandma? The times when she is alone with her two grandchildren. “They stick together. I am the most important person in the world. That warms the heart. »
1/4
Exceptional grandparents
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VALÉRIE MORIN
Valérie Morin and her children, Éli, 7 years old, and Sofia, 2 months old
My parents always said: ‟We live for our children.” This sentence really comes to me. They could do lots of hobbies, have lots of friends, go out… Instead, my parents decide to be with us, by choice. […] When my parents tell me: ‟We are not so exceptional. We are like that.” I tell them that around me, I have friends who have had babies and who are tired. Their parents have too many activities to help them. […] Me, if I need help, my parents come. I find it exceptional.
Valérie Morin, mother of Sofia, two and a half months, and Eli, 7 years old
A “mother from afar”
PHOTO CATHERINE LEFEBVRE, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Virginie Marteau and her daughter Léa
Virginie Marteau gave birth to her first child, a little girl named Léa, in November. “When I made the choice to come and live in Canada, I knew that it would be in difficult times to live at a distance because I have always been very close to my parents”, says the young woman of French origin, who has lived in Quebec for eight years.
She therefore launched an invitation to her father and mother, who agreed to come and spend three months in Quebec in order to be present to welcome the baby.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VIRGINIE HAMMER
Pascal and Clairette Marteau with little Léa
“I think our daughter has given us a truly exceptional gift by asking us to come and stay,” said Clairette Marteau during a video call.
The “granny from afar” was able to see her pregnant daughter and participate in the decoration of little Léa’s room. It was even her spouse and she who brought the future parents to the hospital. “Seeing our daughter become a mother and have a baby, that’s a very moving moment,” says the one who became a grandmother for the first time at the same time.
Virgnie Marteau is also very grateful to have been able to count on her parents in the weeks following the birth. “As a young mother, I find that the month after the birth is minimized a bit. It’s still intense. We have a lot to learn. You have to take care of the baby. […] The presence of my parents allowed me to take care of myself. »