I never had the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom. Years ago, I went back to work when my son was four weeks old. Luckily, my mom offered to babysit him. Every morning, my husband dropped Danny off before work, and picked him up each night.
Well, now I’m the grandma, and I’m returning the favor. Tomorrow, I’ll report for duty at their house at 6:30 a.m. I’ll finish up at 3:30 p.m. This will cut into my writing and networking time quite significantly, don’t you think?
But I want to be mindful, and enjoy Ella’s company. I want to learn what makes her smile, and help her little brain catch fire! So I am cutting back on a lot of what normally fills my day. I am lucky that my husband is such a great team member – if not for his support (actually, I’d go farther: his encouragement), I couldn’t have agreed to do this.
I’m retired, but now I’m going back to the days when I only went to the gym in the evenings, or golf on the weekends. Adjustments will be made. I’ll still meet my goals as described in the last post, and we’ll all compare notes on March 31.
But I am SO excited! Ella is my priority, and everything else will get done somehow. I have a suspicion that my life is about to become more pure, more focused, and more beautiful.
I’ll keep you posted.
Lynne, It does sound exhausting but wonderful. Somewhere I read that a woman was describing how much she enjoyed time with her grandchildren and said, “If I’d only known it was this much fun, I’d have skipped having children and just had the grandchildren.”
Madeleine
How awesome….
Thanks, Ashley. Stop by again soon!
How fun for you, proud Gramma!
Lynne your new adventure sounds wonderful. I know you will treasure it forever. I miss you greatly. Hugs to you and Bill.
Linda
Best to you Lynn, sounds wonderful. We’re missing you in writing group.
Pamela
Great post Lynn. You are doing the right thing. Enjoy the grandchildren!
Sweet dreams,Lynne!
You guys, it’s the end of day one and I am exhausted but so happy! Amy (my daughter-in-law) got home just in time for the late-afternoon feeding, which was so great, because she cried when she left this morning, and a couple times during the day while at work. So to be able to arrive home and reconnect with Ella, I mean, I will fall asleep thinking about how cool that was.
What a fabulous opportunity you (and Ella!) have, Lynne! My parents were very much hands-on with my son, and all are richer for it. Yes, there will be challenges; yes, there will be frustrations. But you have a new source to mine for story ideas and posts! Your time for the “fun” things of retirement will be limited, but hey — watching that little girl grow and having a part in making her world secure and interesting sound like a pretty good trade-off!
What a beautiful story,Lynne. One never sees the world in the same way again after holding a grandchild. How can you go wrong when your priorities are so clear and you are surrounded by so much love and “pinkness” 🙂 Yes,it will be a challenge to recalibrate and balance it all but it is a challenge anyway. Just think of all the great writing that will come from being surrounded by all that richness. I can’t wait to hear the stories!
Blessings~
Kathy
What a beautiful name! ~ and a beautiful baby!!
What your children don’t know is that they have given birth to your new best friend(s). Enjoy it Lynne – I do. I’ve been on winter break for the past three weeks and you’ve guessed it, spending a good portion of my time with my granddaughter and grandson. I’ve taught them how to ‘Walk Like An Egyptian’, the fine art of cookie decorating while eating the cookies and sitting on the bed with Nana and Papa having pizza for breakfast is alright.
My grandchildren keep me young and vibrant – I love seeing and learning things through their eyes.
And you’ll probably appreciate Ella more because you are her grandma. I love the “make her brain catch fire” line. Enjoy your time with her.
Enjoy these precious moments you’ll share with Ella … you’ll always have a special bond with her.
Oh Honey I love this story — Have a wonderful time with Ella and remember you can always vent, too, the way you probably did as the mother. Like…I’m so so so tired, please, Ella, won’t you nap! 🙂
xoxoxo me