To be honest, I'm really kinda tired of my husband taking credit for the saying, "If I'd known how much fun grandkids were, I'd have had them first." For the last four years, he's been saying it to everyone. Often. Repeatedly. As if it's a huge revelation. As if we are the first grandparents on the earth to love a curly-haired, big-hearted, smarter-than-is-good-for-him little boy.
But then again, to be honest, it has been the most luxurious, satisfying kind of a revelation to us that one little kid (who showed up in our lives as a complete surprise) could elicit such bone-deep, heart-clenching, belly-satisfying love.
So, I have to admit I kinda can't blame that man I love for wanting to tell everyone how awesomely cool it is to be a grandparent.
Here are the top 5 reasons it's cool to be a Nana:
1. Grandchildren let you cherish all the miraculous milestones without the stress that comes from the responsibility of parenthood. This photo was taken in the hospital on my grandson's second day of life. Was his mama super stressed about breast-feeding/sleeping/what-do-I-do-if-this-photo-shoot-makes-him-cranky-and-I-can't-make-him-stop-crying? Of course she was! What was I stressed about while this photo was being taken? Ummmm....I don't recall. I'm sure I had something on my mind at that point, but really I just remember the giddy joy I experienced as I watched the photographer put that darling little hat on his tiny head.
2. Grandchildren let you act like a kid again. This photo is of Brennan and I playing the "Licking Game" (he made it up and named it and trust me, you DON'T want to know any more details).
3. Grandchildren make you work more productively. I am blessed with a job now where I have the freedom to set up a desk for my grandson in my office. But before I had that freedom, I learned quickly how to get my work done more efficiently so that I didn't waste a single minute of time I could spend with Brennan. When he was a newborn (and living with his mama and daddy at our house for his first few months) I couldn't wait to get home everyday and snuggle him up and so would set up my day so that my most important tasks got taken care of first thing while I was fresh. And now, even on days when I get to have four-year-old Brennan "working" with me in my office, I am quicker to make decisions and check things off my list rather than over-thinking every decision and task.
4. Grandchildren (under a certain age) help you nap more religiously! It is an awesome privilege/perk of being a Nana to say, "Okay, it's nap time. Let's read one more book and then I'll snuggle up with you until you fall asleep."(We won't talk about the number of times I fall asleep first....).
5. Grandchildren give you the amazing privilege of watching your child be a parent. I live for those moments when I hear my daughter say something to Brennan that sounds like it could have come directly out of my own mouth. And I love when she chooses a ritual or tradition for her own family because it was something I did for her and her sisters when they were children. Those moments make being a parent AND a grandparent the most satisfying job of my life.
