proximity
A few weeks ago, we had a week full of grandparenting. First, I went down to our son’s home to watch his girls for two nights while Court and Kimberly took a trip to visit friends. When I returned home, Dave and I had a sleepover with the Barnes boys while Ben worked in Chicago and Meredith took an evening class and then rose early to drive to Santa Barbara for a speaking engagement. The sleepover involved building a three-man tent at the foot of our bed, complete with flashlights and lots of giggling and squirming.
I am an intentional grandparent. I look for every opportunity to build relationship and make memories with my grandkids. Having the boys in proximity, right through the back gate, makes impromptu visits with them an almost daily occurrence. Lately, four-and-a-half-year-old Everett has started coming over by himself. He’ll show up at the back door and say, “Lala! Spelling words!” or “Poppy-do! Let’s play Amazing Labyrinth!” His older brothers pass through our house on their way to school every morning. Either Poppy-do or myself used to walk with them, but now they are old enough to make the trip together without supervision. I just love watching them pull their rolling backpacks down the street, chatting together all the way.
Recently I was talking to my youngest cousin, Mary, a new grandmother herself, who promptly upon hearing that her daughter was expecting, took retirement from her teaching career to be part-time caregiver for baby Arthur. Mary had grown up with our grandmother living in a house right across the backyard from her own. I asked her what it was like, to have such easy access to Nana, and she said that climbing up Nana’s backstairs was also an almost daily event for her. They would play cards, Crazy 8s and War, two of my own granddaughters’ favorites. Nana had treats, often baked goods or popcorn balls, and at Christmas there would be a sled under the flocked tree filled with candy. The proximity of their homes allowed for quick visits.
My other grandmother lived near enough to our family that I could have frequent sleepovers. Her apartment complex had a swimming pool. I could go swim and then come back to find my standard lunch waiting for me…a hot dog, a sliced apple and an ice-cold Coca Cola. We also played cards. One of our favorite games was Spite and Malice. I don’t quite remember the rules of the game, but I remember the fun.
Meredith calls her move with her family into the house right behind us, “doing life together.” This also involves dinners together at least two or three times each week. In the summers, I make sure that we spend a lot of time in Michigan with our granddaughters. I want to build those special relationships with them that only proximity allows.
Love, Liz
P.S. Meredith and her family were supposed to spend this week in Panama with her sister-in-law and her family. But civil unrest made travel a little too dicey. What was supposed to be a quiet week of rest for Dave and myself has now turned into more meal prep and babysitting and family memories. I am truly thankful!
