When my mom became a grandmother ... she truly came alive! Not that her life wasn't rich and full before, but suddenly she had a grandma-glow about her. There is something powerful about watching a grandma hold her newest grand-baby for the first time ... and over time, watching that relationship grow and watching Nana glow even more!
As her daughter, it has been an incredible joy to watch each of my kids love on and be loved on by my mom. There is a special sweetness to seeing my kids hug and hang on my mom the moment she walks in the door. Or if we are off to visit her, then upon arrival they immediately begin filling her in on anything and everything they have done in the past 48 hours. At the same time. They are excited to be with her! This enthusiasm is proof that my kids adore Nana and for good reason.
She is a wonderful listener. If Norah begins her recount half-way through the story, Nana will listen and figure out just what it is her grand-daughter is trying to tell her. If Ashley is excited to share her big news about gymnastics, Nana is excited, too. If Aaron is explaining a new level of Clone Wars that involves a battle with Count Dooku, she will try to be as enthusiastic and interested as he is. And that's not easy. Even Lydia and her limited story-telling abilities are rewarded Nana's listening ear.
She celebrates each child's individuality. My mom is wonderful at celebrating each child for their unique interests and strengths. She has watched hours upon hours of the girls practicing their gymnastics. Hours. She has snuggled Lydia on her lap to look through yet another lift-a-flap book ... for the seventh time that morning. She has spoken Aaron's love language of Wii-ing and has been know to pull some amazing tricks on the ski slope. She's particularly skilled on the rails. :)
She isn't afraid to get silly. And seeing as silliness is the common language among kids, this is probably the most important. Just for the record, she doesn't just observe their silliness ... she jumps right in. And I have photographic proof:
This is from a visit to her house in the summer of 2005. She had picked up this enormous dump truck at a yard sale for the kids. The two boys loved it and the girls thought it was fun to stand in the back and wave like they were in a parade. It was a perfect addition to her backyard!
This particular evening, we adults were sitting in the adirondack chairs sipping ice tea and the kids were getting their wiggles out. And that's when Nana decided to join them. Hard-hat and all.
I love the goofy smile on Aaron's face and I can still here my mom laughing. To me, this is a sweet snapshot of Nana ... loving on her grand-babies and glowing.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom!
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Prompt #4 ~ Ode to my Mother ...
Thank you for the honor of being your Momma! and Nana to your wonderful children. As you know I loved being a mom and I couldn't imagine anything that could be better. Well, being Nana is. And I'm proud to be Nana to all 8 of my kidlets!
ReplyDeleteNow, tell me, how did I get 'out' of that truck? xoxmomxox
Aw, what a sweet post about your mom. She sounds like a fantastic grandma! :)
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What a lovely tribute to your mother. She seems to have a love of life as well as a love for her grandchildren.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting Grams Made It.
Love this! My kids adore their Nana, too. And you're right, it amazing to watch your mother be a grandmother.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true. My kids love their grandma. And she's so willing to do all the things that I feel too burnt out to do. Like figuring out the story half way through.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness for the grandmas who fill in the gaps when we can't.
So glad you stopped by my Writer's Workshop this week. So I could find you. Love the mom video on Sunday.