Grandma's Here, Grandma's Here Hooray-Hooray

Every Day Is A Parade

Monday - June 19, 2006

Is there someone in your life who makes you feel absolutely loved and admired? Does this person radiate onto you their spirit, joy, passion and charm? When you’re with this person do you act out of the ordinary, maybe a little silly or giddy? When this remarkable person sees you do they run toward you to give you a squeeze so tight that it nearly knocks you off your feet? And does this special someone come in the form of a bundle of sweetness that’s around three feet tall? Then chances are you’ve been blessed and you are the grandparent of a preschooler, just like I am. I think being a grandparent is one of life’s greatest rewards. I found my life renewed when I became a grandma; a chance to relive all the pure delights children can bring into the world. Grandparents know how fast a child grows up because looking back on our own children’s childhood it all seems like a fast moving blur. Yet, back when our kids were young and we were dealing with life’s challenges of being a parent we sometimes thought we would never get through a single day. Now we realize it was just a day, not a lifetime.

It occurred to me recently that in my two and a half year old grandson’s mind I am a breath of fresh air. I can provide him with a change of pace, because as much as my grandson loves his dad and mom, I am a new adventure with every visit. On a beautiful spring day about a month or so ago I drove to his house for a lunch date. As I was about to pull into my son’s and daughter-in-law’s driveway I saw him standing at the front door. I can still picture our eyes locking together. The opened screen on the storm door was letting in the welcomed breeze and it allowed me to hear the following loud shrills of excitement, “Grandma’s here, grandma’s here, hooray hooray!!!!” He was jumping up and down, while my heart was skipping a beat. I knew I was someone special that day, so as soon as I stepped out of the car I started jumping up and down too. We were two cheerful souls rejoicing in each other’s company. Yes, there have been quite a few other times he has been thrilled to see me, but on this particular day I realized he has reached the age to express himself verbally and he is becoming his own unique little person. I’ve been thinking about all the wonder and amusement that will be added to our relationship now that he can communicate his feelings through word and action.

Believe me I know there is a relatively short time before he discovers he has better things to do than wait at the front door for me with an adorable smile and his hands reaching for me to pick him up. His sister, my granddaughter, is ten months old and it won’t be long till I get more hugs and more priceless moments like “Grandma’s here, grandma’s here, hooray hooray!” You know us grandmas, we like to brag about our perfect and precious grandkids. It’s good to know that he is the first of many grandchildren to come and I have much to look forward to. So at my house I keep the freezer stocked with popsicles, the sandbox filled with toys, a favorite music CD in the stereo, a few bucks stashed away for McDonalds, and an creative idea or two in my head to keep the grandkids coming back. Hey, a whole lot of love and a little bribery never hurt anyone!