Papa!

Papa! No sweeter sound to the human ear except for Meemaw (or, Nana, or MaMa, or Mimi, or Grandma)!  No matter the name your grandchildren may have given you…or call you…nothing is sweeter than hearing their little voices call out to you.

There’s just no way possible to explain the sensational joys of being a grandparent.  A young parent won’t understand it.  Parents with children in elementary and middle school won’t understand it.  And, parents of high school and college students won’t understand it.  It’s one of those things that you simply cannot understand until it happens to you!  And, when it does….Oh, dear friend there’s nothing like it in the world.  I am the blessed grandmother to nine grandchildren; four boys and five girls ranging in ages from eighteen to six months!

Another wonderful thing about being a grandparent is that…Grandparents NEVER get jealous of one another…It’s the unwritten code of “grandparent-hood.”  See, we know that the love that resides within our heart is the same love that resides within other grandparents’ hearts…So, there’s no need to compete or compare….because ALL grandkids are great and wonderful….no matter what!!  We have an unconditional love for ALL grandkids!

That’s why two grandmothers or granddads can sit for hours talking about nothing more than their grandchildren!  My husband once stated behind the pulpit that if he knew that grandkids were so wonderful we’d had them first! LOL!

Then, there’s the really good secret….Sh! Sh! Sh!…At the end of the day…we can send them home!!  Sort of like eating all the ice-cream you want…without getting a single calorie!!  Zap!! When you get tired; or the noise level gets to be too much….Zap out the old cell phone and request a pick-up service!!  Or, we can always use one of our many “aging” ailments…sciatica, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome…There are tons! Just watch TV and you can find dozens of “aging” reasons to cut the visit short; if you need to! (Just kidding girls (my three adult daughters!) …I would NEVER, NEVER do that to My grandchildren….hehehe!)

Another fun thing about being a grandparent is that we simply “lose” our memory of how it actually was raising our own children.  We say things like, “Well, I never did that when you were growing up!”  Or, “I didn’t raise you that way!”  Sometimes, it’s just way, way too much fun! 

Then, there’s the “hero” mode…You know what I mean…Your grandkid is standing there begging for a piece of candy.  Their parent (your adult child!) responds, “No, you don’t need any candy; don’t ask again.”  Then…that precious, sweet, little, innocent face looks over at you with their little lip poked out and sad little tears forming in the corner of their eyes…And, you reply, “Now, now don’t cry…Meemaw was just about to drive to the store (it’s like 11:30 PM!) to buy some milk and while I’m there I’ll just pick up a little box of candy just for you.” 

Everyone wins!  The kid is happy.  The parent is happy that they didn’t have to pay for it!  And, you are the happy “hero” who accommodates your grandchild’s every little wish! (If, within reason; of course!)   

Recently, my fourteen-year-old grandson told his mother that if she didn’t let him spend the night with a school buddy that he’d call Meemaw (that’s me!) and Papa and tell us that his Mom wasn’t feeding him!  Wow! That boy has it down flat! LOL!  We all laughed, BUT he still didn’t get to go off that night or spend the night with his friend!  But, I guess it was worth the try!!

So, if you are enjoying the precious, blessed time of “grandparent-hood” then enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, enjoy….for there’s nothing like it!  Wait, I hear my grandsons upstairs now…They are calling for “Papa!”

Got to love it.

Remember God Love You

Lin T Rollins, Author