The coolest thing about having my own blog is that I can write about anything I want. That's a whole universe full of stuff, y'all! Today I considered writing about engineering, copper mining in Chile, the life cycle of the rattle snake, running a lumber mill or deep-sea diving. The problem is that I don't know anything about any of that stuff.
So what do I know about? What's near and dear to my heart? Well, most of my days are spent teaching English to adolescents, and that's always good for a laugh, but my most favorite thing in the world is being a grandma! Are you familiar with the old saying, "If I'd known how much fun grandchildren were, I would have had them first"? It's true. Being a grandma is sooo much better than being a mom. Let me tell you why.
1. 3 words: Sleeping all night.
2. Confidence. When you're a mom, you question every parenting decision. You wonder if making Betty eat her peas before getting any dessert will cause her to have an eating disorder. You worry that sending Billy to his room as punishment will result in an attachment disorder. (Have you noticed an increase in the number of disorders lately?) Which is most likely to produce a sociopath: too much discipline or too little?
Grandma doesn't worry. This is not her first rodeo.She knows that children are not that fragile, that no parent is perfect, and that most of us turned out okay in spite of imperfect parenting.
3. Downtime. I come home from work. I put my feet up and check my email, Facebook, and Twitter. I chat with my husband and discuss whatever is on the news. Eventually one of us fixes something to eat. We read and/or watch TV until we're ready to go to bed. There is no chasing, crying, tattling, spilling, pooping, splashing, or name-calling to contend with. Just peace.
4. Multiples are good. When you're a grandma, 3 babies belonging to you at one time is heaven. When you're a mom...it's not.
5. Revenge. My daughter is raising the child I wished on her. Every mom does it. You look at your child and his or her current method of driving you crazy, and you say, "SOMEDAY...you will have a child who is JUST. LIKE. YOU!"
When you're the grandma, you watch your grandchildren doing the same things your own kids did to you, and you laugh and laugh and laugh!
My daughter was smart and verbal from an early age. Her daughter, The Princess, is just like her. It's hilarious. Her logic is priceless. For example,
Princess: "I don't like real live dragons."
Mommy: "There's no such thing. Dragons are just pretend."
Princess: "No. Remember when you said there's real live princesses?"
Mommy: "Yes. There are real princesses, but not dragons."
Princess: "Yes there are. Dragons live in castles with princesses. So if there's real live princesses, there's real live dragons."
Mommy: "There's no such thing. Dragons are just pretend."
Princess: "No. Remember when you said there's real live princesses?"
Mommy: "Yes. There are real princesses, but not dragons."
Princess: "Yes there are. Dragons live in castles with princesses. So if there's real live princesses, there's real live dragons."
Every time Mommy tells The Princess she can't have something
(candy, sugary cereal) because it's a special treat and we don't eat it every
day, her response is, "Today is NOT every day." How do you argue with that?
So there you have it. Being a grandma is the greatest thing in the world. You love your little ones just as much as you loved your own babies. But while you want them to grow into good people, it's not primarily your responsibility. Oh, you'll still do everything possible to help them and guide them.
In spite of the stereotype that grandparents spoil their grandkids rotten, you do try to keep your spoiling to a reasonable level. I mean, a child shouldn't have cookies before dinner every day, but today is NOT every day. Today they're at Grandma's house.
How do you argue with that?
This is taken from a guest post I wrote over at Trish's place: Contemplating Happiness. Be sure to pay her a visit!
