It doesn’t matter whether I have them for an evening or an
entire weekend—I love spending time with my grandchildren.
I have to tell you they are the best-behaved children in the world. They are
just great children. I love them, I love the idea of them, and I love my time
with them.
It’s funny how your perspective changes from the time you’re
a parent to the time you become a grandparent: Grandkids give us the
opportunity to have fun in a whole new way. Having raised our own kids, we have
the insight and wisdom to savor the special moments with our grandchildren we
might have missed—or didn’t have time to appreciate—while whirling through the
jam-packed days of parenthood.
So what do I do to make the most of my time with my
grandkids?
If they’re spending the night, I make sure we have all kinds
of fun. I’ll take them to movies, the play center, and out to breakfast. We love
to go places where they can burn some healthy energy. They play games and
usually I’ll get involved with them, especially when we have a talent show. We
just have the best time!
We’ll either go out to eat or I’ll cook at home. A special part
of our evening is dessert, and it’s not necessarily sweets that we enjoy. I’ll squirt
whipped cream in their mouths, put it on a plate and then dunk their heads in
it, which leads to many laughs as you can imagine! Here’s a picture of us taken
at our most recent sleepover as we were enjoying our whipped cream revelry!
We talk about all sorts of things, we laugh, play and share.
It’s good for all of us. I let them be who they are and I try to promote the
positive so they’re comfortable expressing themselves and relishing the pure
joys of childhood. Naturally, a night out with Bubbe calls for a bit of
silliness, so we like to use made-up names. I’ll make up a name for myself and
then when they call me “La La,” I won’t know who the heck they’re talking to! They
keep me on my toes.
At bedtime, we all sleep together in my bedroom. With pads
on the floor and a huge blow-up bed, the scene looks like a dormitory. The kids
wait until I fall asleep (they can hear my snoring!), and then play until 1 in
the morning, surrendering to sleep only after they’ve worn themselves out.
Sure, they fight sometimes, but the kids work it out and the fun begins anew in
the morning.
When the time comes for the children to return to their
parents, I always ask, “How was the sleepover?” They always give me a thumbs-up
or say it was the “best one ever.” I’ll ask how that’s possible, and they
giggle, “it doesn’t matter, Bubbe, it was the best one ever!” I’ll have to agree—and
I keep on smiling until the next time.
Family plays a huge part of a healthy, balanced life, and
the close connections we share and the time we spend together nourish our soul
and bring us meaning. When it comes to grandchildren, the blessings couldn’t be
richer. I have an absolutely wonderful time with my grandkids, and I think it’s
pretty clear they love their time with their Bubbe, too—whipped cream on their
faces and all!
How do you treasure your time with the special children in
your life?
No comments:
Post a Comment