Many are the joys of grandfatherhood..
Some of you may remember I wrote of my weeks of depression and how conversations with my grandson kept my spirits aloft even though I only saw him on my computer. But then last week he flew into town with his parents and I could hold him in my arms, it was really different. And when he wrapped his chubby arms around my neck, gave me a kiss and said "dada", it was bliss indeed!
Truth be told, there's nothing better than being a grandparent. It is only now that I realize the real joys of grandparenthood. You have all the pleasures of parenting with none of its obligations. And your grandchildren respond in kind. Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children. Indeed, I came to realize that perfect love does not come until the first grandchild!
And what a bargain grandchildren are! You give them any loose change, and they give you a million dollars' worth of pleasure for the rest of your life. Most often when they create mischief and mayhme , they can always run to grandpa to escape the wrath of their parents. Of course grandparents are there to also help the child get into mischief they haven't thought of yet. But there is a down side as you grow old. While an hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again, anything longer than that, you start aging quickly!
Just watching him get up each day, discovering new things with joy and wonder is a particular delight. For him everything is new and every day has a miracle hidden inside it. And as he meanders around, he teaches you to look for the beautiful little things in life: how a window remote works, how the little wooden spoon makes a wonderful drum stick, how the raindrops fall from the heavens. While every day is not always beautiful and good, he manages to find something good and fascinating in it.
Looking for that good will also teach us to be grateful for what we have and worry less about what we don’t have. It will help us to find contentment and happiness in the small things. So does his perspective teaches us that life is made up of everyday miracles. Truly grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.
And an unexpected joy of grandfatherhood is watching your son become a loving and doting father
Some of you may remember I wrote of my weeks of depression and how conversations with my grandson kept my spirits aloft even though I only saw him on my computer. But then last week he flew into town with his parents and I could hold him in my arms, it was really different. And when he wrapped his chubby arms around my neck, gave me a kiss and said "dada", it was bliss indeed!
Truth be told, there's nothing better than being a grandparent. It is only now that I realize the real joys of grandparenthood. You have all the pleasures of parenting with none of its obligations. And your grandchildren respond in kind. Our grandchildren accept us for ourselves, without rebuke or effort to change us, as no one in our entire lives has ever done, not our parents, siblings, spouses, friends - and hardly ever our own grown children. Indeed, I came to realize that perfect love does not come until the first grandchild!
And what a bargain grandchildren are! You give them any loose change, and they give you a million dollars' worth of pleasure for the rest of your life. Most often when they create mischief and mayhme , they can always run to grandpa to escape the wrath of their parents. Of course grandparents are there to also help the child get into mischief they haven't thought of yet. But there is a down side as you grow old. While an hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again, anything longer than that, you start aging quickly!
Just watching him get up each day, discovering new things with joy and wonder is a particular delight. For him everything is new and every day has a miracle hidden inside it. And as he meanders around, he teaches you to look for the beautiful little things in life: how a window remote works, how the little wooden spoon makes a wonderful drum stick, how the raindrops fall from the heavens. While every day is not always beautiful and good, he manages to find something good and fascinating in it.
Looking for that good will also teach us to be grateful for what we have and worry less about what we don’t have. It will help us to find contentment and happiness in the small things. So does his perspective teaches us that life is made up of everyday miracles. Truly grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.
And an unexpected joy of grandfatherhood is watching your son become a loving and doting father
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