February 20, 2011
He did it!!!! Our little man is walking. He looks so big and so confident. We, on the other hand, have mixed emotions.
First of all, we are in so much trouble! We couldn’t keep up with him when he was crawling so I have no idea how we are going to keep up with him now. I just keep saying “don’t blink, don’t blink”.
He isn’t just walking – he is running. Somehow I knew that would be the case.
His timing for his first steps was perfect. In spite of the fact he has held on to Nana’s pant leg, hands and shirt sleeve as he tested the waters over the past two weeks, he waited until Mommy came home and Nana left before he took off. You are a smart little man Currin Ladd.
So now he’s off into the wild blue yonder. His first steps towards independence. His first steps in exploration of the world around him. His first steps towards freedom. Our little man is growing up.
It’s exciting to see the wonder on his face as he steps out on his own. It warms our hearts to see the joy on his face as he moves about. His laughter is music to our ears. The first of so many firsts for our precious little man. I’m so blessed to be able to share in them and pray I will be there for many more.
Part of me feels sad. What happened to the sweet baby we held in our arms just a few months ago, totally dependent on mommy, daddy and Nana? Early last year he was still a baby. Today he is already a little man.
As I watch Currin grow and change I remember watching my own children take their first steps and know this is just the beginning of firsts for our little man. And I know how quickly time goes by. One day we are wishing their life away praying they grow up quickly. The next we find ourselves wishing they were babies again.
One of the best things about being a grandmother is you are given a second chance at parenting by being a substitute parent. As a single mom of four kids, I like to think I was involved in their lives and enjoyed all their firsts as well. We used to “play hooky” on occasion – I took a day off work and kept the kids out of school so we could do something fun together. It was rarely planned – more spontaneous and while I know many will say it is imperative children are in school, the “perfect attendance award” they may have missed was nothing in comparison to our quality time together and the memories we made. But I know I didn’t have the opportunity to live that experience like I do with my grandkids.
For one thing, I get to go home at night. While I realize the heavy responsibility placed in my hands while I watch our babies, it is not all my responsibility. I value the part I have in shaping their lives, teaching them and loving them, but it is a small part in comparison to parenthood. The up side of that is I can just enjoy it. So I get to relax with them, have fun with them, and just love them to pieces. I find I am much more patient with my grandkids than I was with my own children. When I am with them, my mind is free of all the other responsibilities tumbling around in my brain 24 hours a day 7 days a week as a mom. I can even spoil them once in a while because Nana’s get to step outside the boundaries sometimes. I just don’t break a lot of rules.
I was talking to an acquaintance the other day who said “why don’t you stop watching your grandchildren and get a real job”. Excuse me??????? This is a real job, in fact it is the best one I have ever had. I consider it a rare privilege to be entrusted with the care of my precious grandchildren and all the awards and accolades I accumulated in my career pale in comparison to the rewards of spending time with them. I have never had a job that required such attention to detail, demanded such full accountability and demanded so much responsibility. While my achievements as their Nana may never impress a board of directors or supervisor, exceed any sales goals or balance any budgets, the bottom line is more precious than any other numbers I’ve ever crunched. And the benefits are most awesome!