Is there anything more precious than your grandchildren? I think not. No matter how many you have, each one is a unique gift, perfect and delightful and just delicious.
My husband and I have been blessed with four of the little angels so far. The absolute best days are the ones we get to spend with them. And during those days, I’ve discovered some things about myself.
First, the word “no” seems to have left my vocabulary. I used it clearly and often when our children were still living at home. In fact, they tell me that I was terribly strict. Maybe I was, especially in light of the fact that when we were raising our children, parents were more concerned about being a friend to their kids instead of a parent.
When one of our grandchildren asks me for anything, and I mean anything at all, the only answer I give is “yes.” Of course, my husband is that way, too, but let’s be honest, of the two of us, he was always the soft touch. Not much has changed there.
I like this new me, the one who says “yes” to pretty much everything. She’s easygoing. She doesn’t have to stand toe-toe with a little person rattling off reasons for saying “no.”
Something else I’ve discovered is that I go out of my way to please our grandchildren. Here’s an example: I was making a sandwich for our oldest granddaughter, and I asked her what shapes she’d like me to cut the pieces. “Stars!” she squealed in delight, and I cut her sandwich into little star shapes.
Our girls looked on in disbelief. “Where were you when we were little?” they asked. It’s a valid question.
When they were little, I was a mom, and a single one for a time. I had a demanding career with a grueling Atlanta commute. I traveled for work. And I felt that the weight of the world was on my shoulders; being both Mom and Dad to our children is a lot of pressure. Too, I believed that everything held a lesson, and I wanted desperately to teach them the right ones at every opporrtunity.
With grandchildren, we are free to relax. We understand that dirty clothes and skinned knees and properly-shaped sandwiches aren’t going to mean a thing in the long run. We also know that getting down on the floor to play with children is more important than cleaning the kitchen right away. Bath time really can wait another five minutes. And looking into a child’s eyes and listening to their words tells them that they matter.