Sometimes you get to recognize foreshadowing in your life. It can be scary if you are not ready for it. Other times, it leads to random but interesting thoughts.
Well, last week my niece and her husband spent a few days at our house. They brought with them their adorable little boy. He is all of 3½ years old. This was actually a business trip for my niece, so her mom, my sister, came along to babysit.
This little boy was born 2 months premature but he has overcome all of the challenges that a child born premature faces, except for size. As a matter of fact, he is extremely smart and talks with words and sentence structure well beyond his years. Usually, kids his age talk about things that don’t make a lot of sense outside of their own imagination. When this cutie talks, it’s pretty easy to figure out what he means. His questions are specific and direct; in 4 days I don’t think I heard him ask “Why?” once.
He is a happy boy, and he didn’t seem uncomfortable being away from his home. He was happy to be taken care of by Nanny, his grandma. He seemed quite secure and accepted/respected his great grandma, me (his great aunt), and my husband.
My husband and I have talked of our potential future as grandparents. With each of us having a child, the likelihood that it will happen is fairly high. But they are just starting their lives, and there is plenty of time for that. My stepson is married, my daughter is not. Let’s just say that my mind is open to being a grandmother in the future; just not today.
So, by the end of the third day’s visit, the little angel boy’s halo was starting to lose it’s a little of its luster. I’m guessing that it all started with him not getting a nap. On Saturday morning Nanny and I took him to the Peach Festival in Weatherford. It was hot and crowded, for sure, but he was a trooper. We walked a lot, and ate some peach ice cream. We also stood in line to buy a basket of Parker County peaches. With a catnap to and from the festival, his regular nap simply got missed. His parent’s conference ended on Saturday afternoon, and they returned to the house by dinnertime.
Dinner was a little bit of a struggle because he wanted his mommy’s undivided attention. Mealtime with one that age can be a struggle even on normal days. Mommy managed to get a little food in him once he got to sit in her lap.
After a little watching cartoons on the couch with Daddy, bedtime came earlier than previous nights for the restless minion.
It should not have come as a surprise the next day that a 3½ year old would want to be entertained by his parents, who had essentially been gone from him for the better part of three days. The poor little sweetie was in the time-out chair a lot on Sunday. We were all trying to make the most of our last few hours together; unfortunately, a nap was not on the schedule, again. Sometimes, distraction is key to a parent not losing their cool in front of others, and days like that really emphasize that it takes a village to raise a child. With a room full of experienced parents there was lots of understanding and sympathy also present.
The good times always outweigh the not so pleasant times. This visit was a good litmus test to see how I have mellowed over the years. I would say, so far so good. My husband will be a wonderful grandfather; he is a lot more laid back than I am. But we make an excellent team, so I am sure we will be able to enjoy our grandkids, and give them memorable experiences that will make them excited to visit us over and over. But I can wait a few more years; I could use a little more time to mellow. As of right now, the name Grammy suits me. Time will tell if it still feels right.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
