When my children were young, I tried very hard to understand them, and love them anyway. Sometimes that was difficult, remembering the trials and tribulations that the first twenty-plus years caused. Not to say my children were not bright and sweet, but many times I was sure I was the worst mother the world had ever known. I never seemed to be on top of things before they happened. And heaven forbid, I had no idea what bringing up a boy was all about. The two girls were pretty good and usually did what was expected of them, but Jimmy was something else to my way of thinking.  

  For example, Why would he climb up a very tall tree, fall out of it, and I later learned he had the breath knocked out of him. Why then, would he repeat the process, climb the tree, and fall out again? I was told by the male members of the family and neighbors that boys did those things. I only asked why? I could not understand that, and to this day still don’t understand why an intelligent human being would do that. And why would he tease his sisters until one of them came to me crying?   

  I admit I was not a great mother. I tried, and never completely succeeded, but thankfully my children, now grown, all say I was the best mother. Oh, well, what can you expect from children’s memories?

  Now being the grandmother of eight, I am so much better at organizing and helping these darlings get along in the world. And it is so much more fun. Yes, I did say fun. It seems I missed out on fun when my children were young and my sense of humor usually failed me, but now, with my Grands, I love doing things with them that I never had the ability or time to do back then.

  Of course now, I have more time, as we are retired (or so they call it) and I can spend time with them when the occasions come up. These darling Grands are aged nine to twenty-seven years. That is another story I might write later, but the two youngest came by way of a blended family.

  Most of our Grands are so attentive, so loving, and we are excited every time they call, email, or text. I must admit, we love the phone calls the best. I get a better idea of what and how they are doing. And they are so charming and sweet to us on the phone. Had I known how much fun and how exciting Grands would be, I would have forgone children and gone right ahead to the Grands. (Only hope my children don’t read this).

  Grands think Grandparents are special, smart and entertaining while they are young, but learn differently when they reach second or third grade. Now they know how smart they are. Or, so their little smart minds believe. Anyway, now we can talk about more grown up things, like sports, which I know little about, and in three cases, cooking. Yep, we actually discuss recipes and ideas that they have tried out, or they ask for a recipe of ours they remember eating. And we talk about current events!

  My husband is the main family cook and the Grands know it. One time when my husband was taking a shower, I asked if three-year-old Graham was ready to have breakfast. “Will Pop Pop be mad?” came out of the three-year-old mouth. I had to assure him that Pop Pop was not going to be “mad,” and that I really can cook. Now the main decision on this child’s mind was if I was capable of making hot cocoa like Pop Pop did. My husband heard the conversation through the wall and he thought the whole thing was funny. I did get through breakfast, and when my husband came in the kitchen, it was all we could do not to laugh. Of course Graham immediately told him I had made hot cocoa. He assured them that he had taught me how to make this concoction. The Grand said I did it okay, but Pop Pop did it much better. So much for trusting grandparents.

  Looking back on our times with all the Grands, I have treasured moments that will last me for the rest of my life. Not sure they will remember all our “fun” but we sure will.

  Someone told me years ago that God only gives you children so you can practice until the Grands come along. There may be some truth in that statement, because having Grands around is certainly different than when our kids were around. Now we have the good stuff, and do not have to pay for school, clothes, toys, and all the other things children require. We get to buy and give these items when and if we want to. Such a difference!

  I suppose it all works out most of the time. Our blended family and their children are all successful or leading to successful lives, and the two youngest seem to have it all together, as far as that goes. They are all so busy with their lives and families that it is becoming harder to see most of them  very often. I really miss that. Seems like sports have taken the place of grandparents, and their lives are so full that even though I miss all of them, most of the time, we still have a lot of memories.   So, don’t take children and grandchildren too seriously, but enjoy them while you still have time. God gave us precious little ones, and I hope we did our best with them, and most of the time we had a great deal of fun. Can we ask more than that?