"On Being a Grandmother"

I love my grandgirls, all 5 of them.  I became a mother when I was 18 years old.  I did not become a grandmother until I was 54, but oh, was it ever worth the wait!

I lived with my daughter and her family for a year and a half, from the time my oldest grandgirl was 6 months old until she was 2.  You don't think that didn't make for a bond?  We are both early risers, so she and I spent hours together during a time of the day when no one else was awake.  I introduced her to chocolate-dipped pumpkin ice cream cones, zucchini squash, and a whole slew of other vegetables.  It was just the two of us for several years and relinquishing the status of Nana's only grandchild was not easy for a little girl, but she did, welcoming four cousins into the family.  She is an excellent big sister/cousin and is worshipped and adored by them.  Now a 15-year-old, she has introduced me to hip-hop dancing and friendships that exist via texting.  And yes, she still enjoys her vegetables.

Two of the grandgirls were my next-door neighbors their whole lives until they moved out of the neighborhood a year and a half ago.  That connection earned me the distinction of "neighbor Gramma."  Since the move I am now "Gram, Gram" or just plain "Gramma."  The oldest, now 9, is a deep soul.  She was called an "old soul" as an infant.  Even then her eyes could bore a hole through you, causing one to wonder just what she was thinking.  She is quiet, but mighty.  I have saved her from more than a few spiders in her life, making me her heroine.  The little sister, 7, was born with a zest for life and a smile on her face.  This one knows how to laugh at herself and does so quite frequently.  What a gift!  "Spitfire" is probably the most accurate description of her.  Talk--oh, how she loves to talk.  I've often told her that her ears and mouth don't work at the same time, but that has been a futile attempt to get her to listen. 

The other two grandgirls, 11 and 7, are moving to the other side of the world.  Not really, but compared to the 45-minute road trip it takes me to land at their front door, Boise, Idaho seems a world away.  The older sister in this family has the most infectious laugh you will ever hear.  She is one who devours books and loves volleyball.  One of her most favorite interludes in the world is to see who can be the grossest in a conversation with her Uncle Doug.  Add her love of unicorns and sloths to this description and you can see how broad her interests are.  The younger sister is one who marches to the beat of her own drum.  She has a consistent disposition in life which is unique for a child.  Not much ruffles her.  She knows no fear and has a level of trust which strikes the very depth of panic in a parent or grandparent.  She knows no stranger.  I am Gram or Gramma to these two as well.

While each one is unique and individual, they share common traits of being strong-willed, stubborn, independent, honest, out-spoken.  These are positives, not negatives, just difficult for parents to deal with at times.  That's when being a grandparent has its advantages.

I very rarely use the word "blessed."  I feel it is over-used, misused, and abused.  However, in the context and scope of having been given a gift from God, I am blessed.  I love my grandgirls, all 5 of them.  I cannot imagine my life without them.