My New Year’s Resolution (well in addition to my old standby’s…losing weight and exercising regularly) was to write more. Being that it is late February, I decided I should probably get on that. I thought my blog could use a bit of a makeover however, so being that I am one of the most obnoxious grandma’s I know….allow me to introduce my newly renovated blog…”Call me Grandma June”. My hope is that if I follow through and keep up with my postings, it will return to it’s former glory of twelve faithful readers!
Now, being the multi-faceted person that I am…I have layers, I wear a lot of hats. For instance, I have my “Reality TV Junkie June” hat. And then there is “Gym Rat June”…okay that’s really not one of my hats, but I do occasionally workout and I like to talk about it. And don’t forget “Peri-Menopausal June!” She will definitely have a few things to say. So never fear, this won’t be a one-note blog, there is something for all. That being said, my grandma hat is my favorite one, so it’s my jumping off point.
I am told that as a young child, when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, my first answer was, “A neighborhood.” I tried that path, but thankfully after losing a great deal of weight I am quite sure I was misguided. My second answer was, “A grandma!”
Being a grandma is, well…it is simply wonderful. I can’t possibly imagine someone enjoying it more than I do. I am now a well-seasoned grandma of just over 18 months. You might say I’m obsessed. You would be correct. I have tried to work on this, but alas, I am shamelessly, unapologetically, and madly in love with my granddaughter.
I think one of the reasons I love being a grandma so excessively is that I am really good at it. Those of you who know me well, know that self-confidence is not one of my strong points. Being a parent is already a complete recipe for guilt and self-doubt. Being a very young parent as I was, is even more so. There are so many moments I wish I could do differently. I had my first child at age 20. I look at the 20-year-olds I know (now granted, I do work in the prosecution end of the legal system, so perhaps my perspective is slightly jaded) and think they are SO unprepared for parenthood. While I would like to claim I was an unusually mature young woman at that age, it would be a lie. I loved my children dearly, but I made so many mistakes. I was far too immature to appreciate and cherish the gift I was given. I was self-centered and at times resented the fact that I was so rarely able to put myself first.
Being a grandma has given me the spectacular gift of a do-over of sorts. I cherish every minute of reading “Lily’s Fairy Tea Party” for the hundredth time. I don’t mind at all watching Tangled three times a day. I no longer try to bribe anyone within a five-mile radius to change a diaper. I never tippy-toe around for fear I might disrupt naptime a few minutes early. In fact, sometimes I stalk her room until she wakes up. I have wished so many times to be able to revisit those days when my children were young. To spend an afternoon playing with them and enjoying the happy chaos. That desire has enabled me to enjoy every moment I am able to spend with Savannah. Old age seems to bring about an awareness of how quickly time goes by. It causes you to realize that those perfectly happy moments are fleeting and you have to snatch them up and cherish them.
To sum it up…if I’d know how great being a grandma was, I would have done it first!
