I spent the day with my two grandchildren today, Janell and Terry. I took them to see Sesame Street live (Super Grover-Ready for action.) Janell loves Elmo and Terry loved the lights and the sounds. I was sharing my experience with someone and they said “if I knew grandchildren were so much fun, I would have had them first” (I think I heard that before but it was very intriguing this time.) It hit me like a ton of bricks, I wondered why in my case along with many others that grandchildren seem to be more fun. Well, a few things came to mind: number one, I’m older. When we started our family we were 18 and 19, having no idea what to expect. Number two, I’m more settled. Raising a family and trying to find yourself and a career can cause you to miss a lot of things. Number three, They aren’t mine. Some kind of way this must work its way into equation. I love my grandchildren wouldn’t do anything to hurt them but my children accuses me of spoiling them and that might be true. But here’s my defense when they were growing up I was struggling financially and now I’m in a better position to do for the grandchildren things I couldn’t do for them.
So here’s my point to all parents, slow down and enjoy your children because while I love spending time with my grandchildren in my 40’s it come with a sense of missed opportunities of spending time with their parents. If I could turn the clock back I would have changed more diapers, took the responsibility for more feeding and baths, helped with more homework, made more school plays and attended more parent-teacher conferences (maybe even been a “homeroom father - can’t wait for my first grandparents day.) It’s not that I was a bad parent, I just would have done more. In hindsight I missed some opportunities to make some memorable moments with my children.
Nothing is better than spending time with grandchildren but what would make it better is knowing that you spent all the time you could with their parents.
Have a great day and I’ll see you’ll soon!
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