What do you do when you wake up at
4am and read a text informing you that Grandparents day is today starting at
9am at your granddaughters school when your entire day is already planned with
your largest work event of the year… You
rearrange everything and you get there!
I am not a
grandparent who is ready for the sidelines… I want to be active, engaged and
involved in the lives of each of my grandchildren. I believe by doing so, bonding
and memories are being created that will give them strength and comfort far
into their adulthoods. My love as a grandparent is a special kind of love that
they can’t get from anywhere else. While their parents have to worry about who
they will become in the future; I can just enjoy them for who they are at the
moment. My love as a grandparent is “freer” and more unconditional.
As children
grow up, there are many reasons why there are no replacements for grandparents…
·
We
provide roots and history thus giving our grandchildren a better sense of who
they are and where they’ve come from. We are the link between the past, present
and future. Because they look up to us for suggestions, we can help them
develop higher self-esteem and better emotional and social skills which can
result in better grades in school.
·
We
can help our grandchildren feel more special. Research has proven that spoiling
them is a good thing because it lets them know that being with their
grandparents is “special.” Our love is
the unconditional stuff of fairy tales. I may not always tell them what they
are doing wrong, instead I just like what they do, any way they want to do it.
·
We
can often give our grandchildren undivided time and attention, something busy
parents can’t always give them. Even though I am a busy working grandma, I work
from home and my rule when any of the grandchildren are over, “NEVER stop them
from coming to me.” They know where to find me and my door is always open and
they know that I am always happy for them to come and tell me things or show me
something that others around may not want to be bother with. I don’t rush them
through anything but instead let them go at their own pace.
·
I
know this won't come into effect until they get older, but I am laying the ground
work now for them to have someone to talk with and confide in if needed. By
doing so, the potential will be there for me to be able to influence them when
they are troubled or confused. I want my grandchildren to know that “MiMi will
always understand them.”
As a
grandparent, I get all the benefits and joys of parenthood but without any of
the drawbacks. And through my
grandchildren, I have the opportunity to leave a powerful legacy, and to make a
difference for the future.
2 comments:
Loved this post, the gift of active/ present grandparents is really a true gift to your own children. Having that really helps them, its something I wish I had for my own children as my parents don't live here and my husbands mom has passed away.
Hi Renae, You know children also grew up without their grandparents. My parents are in Louisiana and my husbands Iowa although his dad died several years ago now. I am one of 11 siblings, and my children are the only grandchildren that grew up away from my parents. So I always knew that I wanted to play a bigger role in the lives of my grandchilren... what I can't believe is that I'm already living that dream :) Thank you for your encouragement. XOXO Anna
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