Grandparenting

Here's the best part about being a grandparent: I'm not in charge. Here's the worst part about being a grandparent: I'm not in charge. Life is so funny, isn't it? The things we love are the things we hate. The things that attracted us to our spouses can drive us crazy later on. The job we loved when we took it can become drudgery in a short time. Humans are fickle creatures!

Everything they say about being a grandparent is true and I love it. I think it's the greatest joy of my life. It's wonderful not to be in charge of their discipline, not to worry about their manners, not to stress about buying clothes or whether their shoes still fit. It's great not to be totally in charge of these delicious little creatures.

On the other hand, its hard not to be on the front lines when something goes wrong! Too many grandparents have gotten themselves in trouble by being "overly concerned" about the details of their lives but its not easy to sit back and watch someone else take charge of their well-being when you love them so much! We're so used to being the ones to decide when our darling children should go to the doctor or emergency room, or get a haircut, or learn to ride a bike. Getting a phone call that says "I'm on the way to the hospital with (fill in the blank with a grandchild's name)" is stressful beyond measure! Because we want to be there too! We want to hear what the doctor says, comfort the distressed child, do all the parenting things we learned to do and want to do because we love them so much.

Being a grandparent is more about learning to sit back and watch than anything else. When they want us involved they'll ask. Otherwise we need to stay out. But oh that is so hard. Luckily for me I trust my children with my grand kids. I don't know what I'd do if I thought they weren't totally competent! But even so, sometimes I just want to take charge. Because...that's the way we are.