What Opportunity Did the GrandGirls Unintentionally Create?

I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming but these GrandGirls are poised to transform my relationship with my son in ways I didn’t expect. Case in point: I just received an invitation to spend some time in a brand new setting, along with a novel set of circumstances, both of which will reveal some new behavior.

It’s going to be me, my son and the 2 GrandGirls while my daughter-in-law tackles some things at home. The 4 of us are going to a local indoor play center with slides and other climbing and play equipment. Cool! Except I do not like ball pits. Anyway…

I imagine that things could get thick with meaning. What I’m anticipating is the chance for my son to witness how well I can handle his little girls, all the result of his training me to be a mom. Since he was kid #1, he was my virtual instructional manual. I learned what worked and what didn’t.

My biggest takeaway from his school of training was not to impose too much of my will. I called it the bottom up approach, as opposed to top down. I wanted to see where his will drove him (playing with trucks and trains!) and how his interests shaped him (engineering!).

I was a keen observer of his inclinations and found them very entertaining. It was especially fulfilling when I could connect him with something that plugged into what he enjoyed (driving to the local mall that was under construction and watching all the front loaders and dump trucks at work).

The point is, now when I slip into grandparenting mode, he can see the shadows of me in parenting mode. Up until now, most of the time that I’ve been spending with his girls has been while he’s in his home office with a sound reduction headset on.

I plan to demonstrate that I can manage this situation which will likely require some strength and endurance to lift the girls and to keep up with them as they navigate the equipment.

He'll witness how I lock on and I don’t back down easily. I’m a young(ish) grandparent and I still have the agility and ability to keep up with the little girls!

The flipside of these circumstances is that I will get to see him in his full-on parenting mode which is not as apparent when it’s a shared thing with my daughter-in-law, generally at home or at the dining room table during a family meal.

What’s special is that this activity will be me and him, as mom and son, but also as Nana and dada. It will be a melding of our dual identities.

I’m grateful that I’m being included, I’m very happy that we live merely a few miles apart, I’m pleased that I get to see the GrandGirls likely have fun in a completely different environment, I like the idea of being around both other young(ish) parents and little unbridled kids, and I really am thankful that I’ll be able to chase, climb and crawl through the tight spaces in this facility. But I will most likely need a nap afterwards.