The Joy of Grandparenting – I abuse the cliche’ “I wish I could stop time.” I’m the mom that looks at her kids and wants things to slow down. They grow up so quickly and I can’t seem to keep up with soaking it all in.
But, even though I worry that the time will fly and before I know it my kids will be married and gone, part of me looks forward to seeing them as adults. I know one day I will get to enjoy helping them out with their children and watching their little ones grow up – the joy of grandparenting!
OAKLAND COUNTY MOMS BLOG ENTRIES
I saw the proof first hand when my parents became grandparents. It’s touching to see how in love they are with their grandkids. The pride, the patience, the love, the excitement – it’s an even different experience than when they were parents.
Maybe the second time around is easier. Maybe it’s because they are so enamored by the fact that their grandkids are their own kids’ kids. Maybe the “golden years” are less stressful and they’re better able to enjoy the moment. Whatever the reason, I’ve seen my parents exercise more patience and more gentle loving kindness with their grandkids than they did with my siblings and me growing up.
And, I know it’s not just my family. I was at the library recently and I saw a grandfather carrying his infant granddaughter and walking her around the library to keep her from crying. The newborn nestled sweetly in her grandfather’s arms and he looked like he could do this all day long with no breaks. While I peaked at him from the corner of my eye, along came another grandfather walking and holding hands with his 4-year old granddaughter. He sees the other gentleman with the infant and greets him with “Hi there, Grandpa!” They then proceeded to have the sweetest conversation ever about how much they love being grandparents. They shared stories about how they don’t care if the kids spill food, they don’t yell and get impatient, they love everything about the kids, and that being a grandparent is a completely different experience than parenting.
I know I want to stop the hands of time, but I guess it’s nice knowing that I have something as big as the joy of grandparenting to look forward to.
