being granny

I have not written a post for almost a year.

Our daughter had a baby boy in April, 2018, and has been living with us. My husband created a wonderful space downstairs for them, but of course they are frequently upstairs with us.

When my daughter was barely six months old, I was forced to return to work. It was a gut-wrenching decision, but the bills had to be paid and I was the only one at the time who could earn the money we needed. I spent lots of time with her, as she awoke at 5:30am most days and I didn’t leave for work until 8:30am, and I spent every minute after work with her until she went to bed around 8:00pm, but it wasn’t the same as being ‘home’ with her, as I had always imagined I would be. Fast forward to now, and I finally get to experience what it’s like to be home with a baby!

It is so gratifying to have them here so we can really experience his daily life and all that entails. I know many grandparents who live thousands of miles away and only see their grand-kids once a year, if that.

We get to give him baths, feed him, teach him how to build blocks – you name it! But being Granny isn’t just about spending time with the baby. Spending this time with my daughter has been quite the journey for both of us. She has always been very bright and clever, and I have seen her transform into a really good mother.

But the downside is that I now understand what my mother must have felt when my daughter came along. My Mom raised three kids, mostly on her own, and she and I had a very good relationship. It is the mother-daughter dynamic that sometimes gets in the way though – you know what I mean – whenever she offered advice or even just commiserated I immediately felt irritated and usually replied with an eye-roll or a smart remark.

Guess what? I am getting to experience it from the other side now! My daughter is a lovely, caring, beautiful young woman – and she doesn’t hold back in giving me the same attitude I gave my Mom. Go figure!

So as the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for. In this case, I wouldn’t have it any other way, smart remarks and all, so long as she is close and I get to be a hands-on Granny.