Recently I’ve been pondering the subject of grandparents.
One of the neatest things to observe as a parent is your own children interacting with their grandparents. At this point, all of my own grandparents have passed away, but I often remember little things – fun times, quirky jokes, pet birds, and so much more about the generation that raised my mom and dad. We live in a house built in the 1920′s, and every once in a while I get a whiff of some “old house” scent that sends my mind to my grandma’s house.
There can be a special dynamic between grandparents and kids that makes me smile. I remember feeling like my grandparents’ house was almost magical. There were all sorts of things to discover inside and out, and I see my own kids making those same discoveries. The level of excitement is hard to contain when we speak of the land flowing with orange juice and big machines that were daddy’s when he was a little boy.
I love seeing my own parents interact with my kids… there’s a certain level of freedom involved. It’s the “I-can-play-with-this-kid-but-I-get-to-go-home-at-the-end-of-the-day” mentality. After raising 6, I’d say they earned that.
It’s also fun to hear all of the stories about people we may have never met. My grandma worked for years to put together a book of ancestry that dated back to the days of Lords and Ladies. I still love looking through those pages.
As I look to the days and years ahead, I aim to provide as much time as I can for my children to get to know the people that made them possible.
What are some of your favorite memories of your grandparents?
