The Free Press wrote an article on grandparenting. As I read it I thought about writing a post on grandparenting, which now occupies a large part of our life.
We are blessed to have 4 wonderful grandchildren, all of whom live, along with their parents no more than 30 minutes from our home.
Grandparenting is a topic amongst our friends. It’s a topic which isn’t restricted to our female friends at all. Infact, it’s a topic that is raised frequently with a close male friend of mine. He very much lives for his grandchildren. My favourite Person and I might not go that far, but it’s a very big part of our lives.
We pretty much drop everything to help as needed, whether it’s to help our stay at home mum as she juggles pick ups and drop offs for her three, who are at different schools or our son as he and his wife juggle their work lives with parenting.
It’s usually, but not always, a Monday to Friday ‘thing’. I say ‘thing’ because its not a commitment, it’s a calling which we relish. It often necessitates us changing our plans.Today for example, I thought I had a free afternoon until a call from my daughter to help out changed all that.
I have friends who don’t see it the same way, very much taking the view that it is their time and the grandchildren can fit in around that. I kind of feel sorry for them. I think they are missing out on so much.
Like so many of us, particularly Dads, I missed out on a lot with our own children as I worked a very busy job. I enjoyed my work but realised I was missing out on a lot.
Not so these days. Now I’m pretty much retired and when asked in even serious situations what I do, I generally say grandparenting. I wear it with a badge of honour.
I value my time with the grandchildren. They are all under 10 and it’s a time to treasure. Some mornings it’s a school drop off, other times it’s watching a sports practice. Last night it was ballet, normally something my favourite person covers. It was great to see how much my granddaughter had improved since the last time I saw a class.
I’ve attended Grandparents days, Fathers days, and Concerts. They are all fun.
Sure it can be a chore and challenging. Sometimes it can interfere with plans or what I’d hoped to be a quiet afternoon, but I would I wouldn’t swap it.