NANA’S HOUSE by Teresa Kindred
I know what you’re probably thinking after seeing the title: “Only 5? I can think of five thousand!” I agree, but I hope you’ll join me in considering and celebrating these five.
And they are worth celebrating, partially because we love our grandchildren differently than we loved our children. It isn’t more or less, just different. I suspect part of it is because, as we age and mature, we see the world differently.
As a parent of five, one of my main goals was survival, but I also didn’t want any of them to feel slighted. I wanted them all to feel the immense power of my love, so I pushed myself. I wanted every child to have alone time with me and I read each one bedtime stories, heard their prayers and tucked them in every night. The fact that we had twins on the last go-round made alone time harder with them—really next to impossible—but I don’t think they minded.
So here’s my list: 5 Reasons Why Grandparents Love Their Grandchildren
They’re all different.
I have 8 grandchildren. One loves baseball. Another dance. All of them are animal lovers but some more than the others. It’s just fun to see what they love and why they love it. And on the flip side, it’s fun to see what they dislike. Some of my grandchildren will eat almost anything. Others won’t eat anything green. So far, every grandchild I have loves mac and cheese.
The little ones are so stinking cute.
My youngest granddaughter is crawling, and my youngest grandson is walking/running full steam. When he first started walking, he looked like a cowboy who had been on a horse too long, but he’s over that now. Littles make messes with their food all over their faces and don’t care what it looks like. (Dirty faces aren’t as cute on older kids.) They love bath time splashing and bubbles. Everything is new for them. Blowing on a dandelion is a “wow” experience. They make this old world seem more beautiful and wonderful.
Bigger kids know things.
At least they think they know things. It’s fun to have several of my grands in the car—a captive audience—and listen to them discuss things. Of my eight grandchildren only two are boys, so they are surrounded by girls. One day at home I was with one of my granddaughters who was having a come-apart because I didn’t know how to fix her hair a specific way and her mom was unavailable. Her brother rolled his eyes and said, “You need to stop being dramatic and will you scoot over? You’re in front of the television.”
Newborns.
They smell divine. From baby shampoo to the sweet smell of their breath, even a bouquet of roses can’t compete. They look different to each person who sees them. Some will say they look like their mother, others their father. Still others will swear they favor some long-lost relative the parents never even heard of. It doesn’t matter; they are perfection brought down from Heaven on the wings of an angel.
Watching them grow.
No matter how often you see your grandchildren, there are times when it seems like they grew six inches overnight. They start out as little curled up bundles of love in a diaper and blankets, and eventually stretch out until they are taller than you are. Our oldest granddaughter Abby is about my height, and I’m six feet tall. It’s so fun having a tall granddaughter!
It doesn’t matter if you have one grandchild or twenty, there’s always room in a Nana’s heart for one more.
That’s the best thing about love … it’s limitless!
What’s the #1 reason why you love your grands? Share ideas and connect with other grandparents on our Facebook Page. Also be sure to follow Teresa on her Facebook page here.
Teresa Kindred is a freelance writer, former teacher, and author of several books, including The Faith-Filled Grandmother. She’s the mom of five grown children and “Nana” to seven precious grandchildren. She and her husband live in Kentucky. Her blog for grandparents is at NanaHood.com.
