Day 262 of 365 - Grandma Time
Last week, I had the privilege and pleasure to spend most of the week at the home of our almost two year old grandson. I was helping out his parents while his mom was away for the week on a training course for work. This was a big deal for the family, being the very first time that mom would be away overnight, and for several days.
My job was to help out with child care when he was at home, and to cook nutritious dinners for my son and grandson for the end of their busy days. My grandson still went to his little home based daycare, to keep up his routine. Some days I needed to drive him there or pick him up, depending on his dad's work schedule.
During the day, I had time to myself, to do self care, putter around, work on blog writing and peruse the dinner recipes left for me before deciding what to cook for that evening.
When the little one was home, it was pretty much non-stop activity until he closed his eyes to go to sleep at night. I had not spent this much continuous time with him since the week he was born. Of course, we have periodic visits at our home or theirs, but it's not the same as being immersed in the daily life of a toddler.
Up until now, he had not attempted to address me by any name. On the second day, he started calling me an approximation of Grandma, which sounded like 'gama' or 'dama'. So cute! From then on, I would hear his little voice calling, 'where gama?', if we were in different rooms for long, or after he got up in the morning.
The things I had had a little trepidation about, like getting him in his car seat and dropping him off at day care, were not problematic at all, once I remembered how the buckles were fastened. :) On the very first day, his dad had a long work day out of town, meaning I was on duty for pick up, play time, dinner and bed time. He was great for all of it.
The biggest issue to be dealt with, had nothing to do with a toddler. It was an escaped cat! The first morning, as we were all leaving, one of the cats darted out the door. Dad's schedule did not permit chasing him around and catching him. That was my job after I got back to the house. Since the cat did not know me well, there was no way he was coming to me. I tracked him around the neighborhood off and on all day, worrying about his safety, until he finally came to the back door about 5 p.m. You can bet I was extra vigilant after that.
But, back to the toddler. Snacks and meals were eaten if he was hungry enough. Play time, either directly with him, or just observing his amusing behavior, was always a delight. Sitting in his room listening to Dad read bedtime stories to him was precious.
What did I learn from my toddler grandson? Among many, these things: to authentically express whatever you are feeling; to fully engage in whatever you are doing; to persist and try again if something doesn't work the first time; to hug spontaneously; to live in the present.
Was it tiring? Oh yes, I certainly don't have the same energy I had when our boys were small. Was it fun? It was a delight! Would I do it again? Definitely! I appreciated so much that his parents placed their trust in me to care for their precious boy. I'll just need to rest up for awhile. But, I'm doing it with a smile on my face as I remember his many facial expressions, antics and zest for life.
My job was to help out with child care when he was at home, and to cook nutritious dinners for my son and grandson for the end of their busy days. My grandson still went to his little home based daycare, to keep up his routine. Some days I needed to drive him there or pick him up, depending on his dad's work schedule.
During the day, I had time to myself, to do self care, putter around, work on blog writing and peruse the dinner recipes left for me before deciding what to cook for that evening.
When the little one was home, it was pretty much non-stop activity until he closed his eyes to go to sleep at night. I had not spent this much continuous time with him since the week he was born. Of course, we have periodic visits at our home or theirs, but it's not the same as being immersed in the daily life of a toddler.
Up until now, he had not attempted to address me by any name. On the second day, he started calling me an approximation of Grandma, which sounded like 'gama' or 'dama'. So cute! From then on, I would hear his little voice calling, 'where gama?', if we were in different rooms for long, or after he got up in the morning.
The things I had had a little trepidation about, like getting him in his car seat and dropping him off at day care, were not problematic at all, once I remembered how the buckles were fastened. :) On the very first day, his dad had a long work day out of town, meaning I was on duty for pick up, play time, dinner and bed time. He was great for all of it.
The biggest issue to be dealt with, had nothing to do with a toddler. It was an escaped cat! The first morning, as we were all leaving, one of the cats darted out the door. Dad's schedule did not permit chasing him around and catching him. That was my job after I got back to the house. Since the cat did not know me well, there was no way he was coming to me. I tracked him around the neighborhood off and on all day, worrying about his safety, until he finally came to the back door about 5 p.m. You can bet I was extra vigilant after that.
But, back to the toddler. Snacks and meals were eaten if he was hungry enough. Play time, either directly with him, or just observing his amusing behavior, was always a delight. Sitting in his room listening to Dad read bedtime stories to him was precious.
What did I learn from my toddler grandson? Among many, these things: to authentically express whatever you are feeling; to fully engage in whatever you are doing; to persist and try again if something doesn't work the first time; to hug spontaneously; to live in the present.
Was it tiring? Oh yes, I certainly don't have the same energy I had when our boys were small. Was it fun? It was a delight! Would I do it again? Definitely! I appreciated so much that his parents placed their trust in me to care for their precious boy. I'll just need to rest up for awhile. But, I'm doing it with a smile on my face as I remember his many facial expressions, antics and zest for life.
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