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Grandparents are so important!
Recently my mom and dad had my oldest daughter and two other nieces of mine over to spend two days and one night. Mom taught the girls how to crochet, they had Bible studies, played games and put together rather elaborate family history “trees”. My dad also took the girls on a long traipse through the farmland and pastures, pointing out places of significance, such as the spot where he proposed to my mom…where the long, lowing of a nearby cow interrupted their engagement kiss.
Have you ever stopped to think about the ones in your past who perhaps were praying for you every day of your life? My grandparents did this, and now my parents do also. What’s more, I found out several years ago that my uncle and aunt also pray for each of us by name on a daily basis.
What a gift, people! Are we even doing this for our own children to any great lengths each day? Prayer impacts lives, changes hearts, influences national direction.
Please share something in comments that your parents or grandparents have invested in you or your children that is having lasting impact. These things need to be praised, and so often our generation accepts them as our due. I think many times the older generations are left feeling expendable when we should be making them feel cherished. Busy schedules shouldn’t dictate to the point of missing out on these precious last years of our parents’ and grandparents’ lives.
As for me, thank you Dad and Mom for the legacy you’ve given me, and continue to give my children. There are no words to express my heart. I love you very much!
I didn’t realize how important my Grandmother was in my life until she was gone. Not truely anyway. Perhaps one of the most important things she gave my brother and I was that she showed us love in every way possible. Not only did she take care of our needs, she showed us God’s love and she showed us physical love. She is the only family member that would hug me and I wanted to hug back.
My parents gave me a sense of adventure.
My other grandparents gave my brother and I both an extreme work ethic.
I am sorry to always be one that is negative. But I had the worst grandparents in history. On my mom’s side, they mistreated me and my sisters, because my mom was poor and a single mother. They gave us broken old toys for Christmas while my wealthy cousins receieved the electronic toys.
On my dad’s side. We were basically treated indifferently, and when my parents divorced, we no longer existed.
Nice, huh?
Bethanie, I know what you mean, about not appreciating them and the full scope of their hand on our lives till they’re gone. I loved hearing what you feel your strengths are and who you get them from. I’ve been thinking along the same lines lately, as I think on something to say at my parent’s 50th. So much of who I am…
Leticia, keep sharing, and don’t apologize. I am curious after reading that, are your parents and in-laws good grandparents to your boys? I can’t imagine getting broken toys for Christmas while watching or knowing what the other cousins were getting was better. What a horrible message. I can’t imagine your mom, and the heartache that would have caused to try to explain the unfairness of that kind of bias.
My in-laws, at first, were pretty bad, but they have gotten a lot better. They still stand them up a bit, but other than that, pretty good.
My mom, adores her grandsons, and tries to be good grandma, but she lives three states away from us, so when she is visiting, she spends every waking, exhausting moment with her grandbabies.
My dad, well, he pretty much asks about them on the phone but that’s as far as it goes.
Yes, my mom tried her best to shield us, but kids are not stupid. We knew.
My mom’s whole family is pretty wealthy and they have nothing to do with us, and I am just fine with that. I don’t need them or want them in my life.
I can relate to having parents that are abusive and are not much better at being grandparents. SOme of that is the fact that I have limited their access to our children for protection reasons. On the other hand my in laws are great grandparents, although there is favoritism that we have to try to explain to our children.
For me, I appreciate what is done well and as for my side of the family, even thought it is bad it has taught me to be a better parent and hopefully a grandparent (when that time comes) to my grandchildren. Parents do not always teach us what to do sometimes they show us what NOT to do!
Leticia, thanks for explaining. Your mom sounds wonderful as a grandma, I’m so glad she was the exception in her wealthy family…
MamaArcher, you make a very good point. So many times that’s the case not only in parenting, but many women are saying they learned how not to be as wives from watching their mothers…it’s pretty sad. Thanks for coming by and taking time to comment!
Mary, my mom is the bravest and kindest person I know. God truly blessed me and my sisters to have given us such a loving mother, not to mention, her prayers are what kept me safe and saved later on.
I wish she could read that, Leticia, what a precious thing to have your child say about you! I wish she didn’t live so far from you…
Me,too. Thank goodness for telephones! We talk every single day!
Yup, technology is a very good thing. When my parents lived in Iowa, we emailed every day. I love having them just a local phone call away now…