My kids were counting days on the calendar. The countdown was not for the holidays; It was for the day when their grandparents would arrive. For the kids, being with the grandparents is like a trip to a carnival. There are endless piggy back rides, good food, games and the joy of having someone to complain about the parents. “Mom did it grandma!”
Kids know that they will be pampered and more than taken care of. They know that their fuss would be loveably pacified and they will have endless goodies to munch on.
In spite of being geographically apart, the two generations are still closely connected.Thanks to the kid’s tech savvy granny who never gives up, and frequently video calls to stay connected.
Kids are cognizant that some rules can be bent when their grandparents are around. There would be more videos to watch, snuggling and sleeping with their grandparents is alright, and some amount of sulking is bearable. Certainly there are some rules they can’t get away with, but the anticipation and association of fun with the grandparents arrival was out of this world.
Day 5 of the countdown
My son asked me, “How does grandma make a sweater from a string? Does she know magic?” “Yes, indeed.” I said, “She has magic that transforms a piece of string into a warm sweater with a cute little puppy or a dragon on it. She can make whatever pattern you want.” His eyes twinkled with the possibilities that grandma’s knitting could bring.
Day 4 of the countdown
Besides the knitting creations, my kids reminisced about the bed time with their granny, where the story characters come to life, engaging their tiny brains into the mammoth plot.
Talking about the fun bed time, they got into a squabble about who could sleep with granny. So they called her to seek a solution. Granny said, “You both can sleep with me.” The kids were satisfied to get a resolution.
Day 3 on the countdown
The kids thoughts glided towards their grandpa, who shares similar taste in food— mac & cheese, pizza, cookies, crackers, candies and ice-creams! Yum!! My son came jumping to me and babbled, “ You know mom, grandpa gives me cheese crackers to eat! I smiled to see his excitement. He was thrilled that their food companion would soon be here.
Kids also know that if there is anything of interest in the world, their grandpa would come get them— be it a new bird in our backyard, the big garbage truck, a beautiful duck in the pond or cute little puppies in the neighborhood.
Day 2 of the countdown
As the big day came closer, my hubby felt vulnerable {or what I call he was gripped by parental blues}. This syndrome was caused in forethought of kids gravitating towards their grandparents, and thus fading him from their immediate love zone.
So being symptomatic he asked our son to rank his love for him on a scale of one to ten. My hubby ranked pretty alright at 9, and was delighted. Then our son added, ‘But I love my granny one thousand and even more.’
Bam! My husband’s enthusiasm slowly walked out of the door!
Day 1 of the countdown
The grandparents boarded the flight, while I worked frantically to clean the house and their room to make them comfortable.
I thought that with them in the house, I would be assured that my kids get un-diverted attention, lots of hugs and kisses.I know that they would learn about the values and the culture that would assist them to stay grounded in life. I am confident that their grandparents would fill in the gaps that we parents have left behind in the haste of everyday living.
Day of arrival
Evening of their arrival my husband went to pick them up at the airport, with my son sitting patiently in the carseat. Grandparents arrived with their face beaming even after a long journey; and yes there were lots of hugs and kisses. “Let me give you a young kiss!” said my son to his grandpa. We all laughed.
Our anticipation had paid off!
Blessed are the children with grandparents who go extra mile to connect with their young minds.
Photo credit: <ahref=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/9460971@N03/”>Chemophilic</a> / <a href=”http://foter.com/”>Foter.com</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>CC BY-NC-ND</a>
Photo credit: <ahref=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/visualities/210278342/”>3dom</a> / <a href=”http://foter.com/”>Foter.com</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>CC BY-NC</a>
Photo credit: <ahref=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/29526125@N06/”>chedderfish</a> / <a href=”http://foter.com/”>Foter.com</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/”>CC BY-SA</a>