By Patty LaRoche
Aah, the role of a grandparent!
For the past few weeks, Dave and I have been entrusted with the partial care of four children under the age of six. It has been one of the most challenging times of my life (including skydiving, a near-fatal car accident and raising three A.D.D. sons). Holding a baby while walking up and down stairs (will my knees hold out?), keeping an eye on a 15-month-old who delights in stuffing bugs and rocks and large crumbs in her mouth, consoling a sobbing three-year-old because there are no horses in sight (do toddlers have hormones?), trying to learn a hip-hop dance my six-year-old wants to teach me (much to her frustration…and mine), and repeating these actions for days on end makes me wonder how I ever did it as a mother.
Oh, I know how I did it. I was thirty, not seventy-six. And they were my children, not my child’s kiddos.
Still, the blessings of grandparenting far outweigh the worries. Scripture reminds us of the difference a godly grandparent can make: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.” 2 Timothy 1:5
Quietly, as I hugged or held these little ones, I was given a chance to thank God for their individuality and to ask His grace on their lives. Their innocence, their smiles, their ability to giggle at tickles and funny faces and “This little piggy went to market,” their “I love you, Mammy” greetings, made me realize what a privilege it is to spend time with these little blessings from God. No longer could I be their bucking horse or carry two of them at one time, nor could I copy their worm wiggles on the floor. I could, however, be a great audience when they wanted to perform their rendition of the National Anthem while riding their stick ponies and holding their miniature American flags or encourage them when they tried to skip.
I marvel how God could make such individual personalities within one family (Dave and I are blessed with eleven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren under the age of six) and are in awe at how they all were designed uniquely by God in their mothers’ wombs. Brunettes. Blondes. Redheads. A vociferous reader and one who says she never will learn her letters. A sweet, loving sibling and one who frequents the time-out chair. One who smiles constantly and one who screams non-stop. Each unique and each being prayed over to grow up to love Jesus.
When I taught high school, one of my roll questions each year was “What is your favorite memory?” Most of my students answered that it was something they did with a grandparent. Over my 20+ years of teaching, that answer never changed.
Dave and I are the fortunate ones. Many of my elderly friends now are raising their grandchildren because their children are not able to do so. I don’t know how they do it. When I say goodbye to my little ones, I need a spa day and some Tylenol. These grandparents do not have that luxury. So, the next time you see an elderly person pushing a stroller or a grocery cart with youngsters tagging along, a word or two of encouragement could go a long way.
A gift certificate to a local spa would go a lot further.