I’ve mentioned a few times in other blog posts about my struggles with giving up my career and being a stay-at-home mom. You may have noticed that I find patterns in unexpected places. One pattern I’ve observed – and shared more than once – is that women who stayed at home with their children often seem less involved with their grandchildren than those who chose to work outside the home.
I’m here to tell you that if my observation is true, I am an outlier.
I volunteered to watch my granddaughter four days a week for several months after my daughter went back to work, and I loved every moment with baby Addison.
She’s now just over a year old and I treasure spending time with that little sweetie every time I see her – which is often, since she lives next door. Sometimes they come to our house for meals; other times our daughter and/or our son-in-law pop over with Addie for a change of scenery for the busy toddler.
We don’t have a lot of toys at our house, so we have to get creative. Don’s tactic is to give her a kitchen utensil and mine is to use random things and make them interesting. Last week there was a sheet next to the front door that was on its way to being donated, so I laid her down on it and took her on a magic “sheet” ride along our wood(ish) floors. For those wondering, yes, I washed the sheet before finally donating it.
She loves being outside; picking up and sharing leaves is a favorite pastime. She also loves the rain. Not just to watch, but to sit in it, too. Not many people love Houston weather, but she just might.
I appreciate the time I have with her. When my children were that age, I was just trying to survive. Neither time did I have any local support. We moved from Chicago to Atlanta when Lauren was three months old. I gave up my career to stay home with her. After several years in Atlanta, we had finally made some friends. And then we moved to Maine when the twins were two and a half months old. Yeah, not ideal. We finally had a community in Atlanta and now our family of five was in need of another.
Needless to say, I was a bit “off balance” when my kiddos were little. I was just loving on them, tending to them, and trying to keep my head above water. I was too busy second guessing my parenting decisions to truly appreciate them. Now, I love on, tend to, and appreciate Addie.
Cheers to all my fellow Grandma and Grandpa buddies!🎉
New City New State 