Lisa asks: How much do you rely on your kids' grandparents?

Peter and I celebrated our five-year anniversary on the weekend, and the kids had a sleepover at my parents' so we could go for dinner, watch the latest episodes of The Newsroom and Suits in peace, and sleep in. (Thanks for waking me up at the crack of dawn when you just had to get up to go to the bathroom, Peter. Grrr.) The weekend before, Peter's mom watched the kids when we went out for drinks — I mean, dinner — for his sister's birthday. (I swear we don't get out often.) And when I tagged along on Peter's business trip to Vancouver back in May, my stepmother-in-law stayed at our place for a couple nights with the kids so I could get away for a few days.  

We know we're very lucky when it comes to relying on our parents for help with the kids, and that they're so involved in our kids' lives. (If my mom didn't watch the girls while I worked, we'd have to move. Daycare + our mortgage = $$$$$.) From what I've heard from friends, colleagues and acquaintances, some parents get oodles more help from their parents, some don't get any (either their parents live too far away, or they're not super involved grandparents). A couple of friends send their kids to their parents' every Friday or Saturday to spend the night so Mom and Dad can have date nights, while some friends are lucky if they get out once every few months because their parents aren't nearby or don't love watching the kids. (A few friends are looking for teenaged babysitters in their neighbourhoods so they don't have to rely on their parents to get out of the house for a little husband/wife time.)

While we rarely get out, we know we can count on the five grandparents to hang out with Addy and Peyps for a couple hours.

How often do your parents or in-laws "babysit" your kids? Do you have a teenager you trust who watches your kids when you go out?