The Sweet Season of Grandparenting

How could it possibly get any better?

We recently went out of town for five days to celebrate our anniversary, which meant we missed our weekly grandkids’ Saturday night pizza and sleepover. The grandkids didn’t understand why we needed to leave town to celebrate and, even worse, why they weren’t included in the anniversary trip! How dare we miss a sleepover? Our grandkids are seven and four, the ages that I believe are the “sweet season” for grandparent involvement.

What do I mean by the “sweet season?” They are both old enough to be somewhat self-sufficient. I’m not talking about taking the car to Target to buy a Frappuccino or taking a turn mowing the lawn level of independence. However, they are both old enough to be totally autonomous in the bathroom and dressing themselves, two big milestones! They no longer need any help cutting their food or getting themselves a drink, and they even clean up their mess. Well, usually. Babies are sweet, and toddlers are adorable, but I prefer this older stage!

They are young enough that they still like doing crafts, science experiments, and playing imaginary games. It doesn’t take much to entertain them; they still laugh at my husband’s corny “dad jokes,” and they seem to be of the opinion that being at our house is preferable to any other outing. They just want to hang out at “Grandmom’s house.” (My husband lives here also, but for some reason, it’s always referred to as “Grandmom’s house.”)  Our seven-year-old grandson isn’t embarrassed to acknowledge me when he’s on the soccer field with his friends, and four-year-old Sylvia is excited when I pick her up from preschool. We’re still cool, at least in their eyes.

There are times we think we should attempt to regain some of the weekend for ourselves, for date nights, or to catch up on home projects. We toy with the idea, but then we remind ourselves that this time with young grandchildren is fleeting. What are the chances they will still be hanging out with us on Saturday nights ten years from now? We raised kids, so we have a pretty good idea of what will, and should, eventually happen. As they get older, they will gradually become more involved in activities and friendships, and although they will always love us and make visits, we won’t be the attraction we are now. And we shouldn’t be.

Not only are the grandkids at perfect ages, but we are also. We can still get down on the floor to play, chase them through the house when we play hide-and-seek, and give piggyback rides. As they get bigger, stronger, and faster, we will likely get weaker and slower. This is our prime time when we’re able to meet in the middle for the peak of grandparent-grandchild fun.

We joke with our grandson that we’ll follow him to college because we can’t stand being away from him. He just laughs and says that will be okay with him. We can’t quite imagine him being a college man eleven years from now, but it will happen. We’ll be excited for him and cheering him and his sister on from the sidelines as they live their lives and achieve their dreams. We won’t be martyrs and beg for visits, but I know we’ll secretly hope they will drop by when they’re in town.

I hate it when people tell young parents to cherish every moment because it goes by so fast, yet here I am, telling myself that about grandparenting. However, it is different. Parenting is intense and often exhausting work. It’s insensitive to tell a sleep-deprived parent they should be enjoying every moment. Grandparents get the best of both worlds. We play until we’re exhausted, and then we send the grandkids back to their parents. I’m sure we’ll love every stage of watching our grandkids grow up, but something tells me we are in the “sweet season” of grandparenting, and I plan on soaking up every minute.