Recently, I have started contemplating motherhood and grandmotherhood, and how they are interconnected, beyond the obvious birth of a new generation.
I decided that becoming a grandmother was like getting a promotion at work, complete with advantages and disadvantages.
My job title changed, and I was now supervising more people. I received a pay increase and was granted additional vacation and sick time. However, I was unable to take days off because my new position was more demanding, and more workers relied on me for direction and encouragement. And most importantly, I had worked hard to get the promotion, and was finally recognized for my expertise and knowledge in my field.
It’s so incredibly special having a grandchild. Since my grandson has grown into a toddler, talking nonstop, I never tire of being called Nanna, my new phenomenal job title. And even though my baby wears me down after eight hours of solo supervision, my payment comes in luscious hugs and kisses.
And indeed, my nights aren’t touched, and I can still get my now measly 3-4 hours of uninterrupted sleep (before a hot flash hits!), because to reiterate the real time advantage: your grandchildren GO HOME with their parents at the end of the day!
But when duty calls, and it’s my turn to babysit while my daughter works, I try my best to trudge along because these big kids are counting on me. Then, inevitably, despite my daughter usually doing pretty well on her own, raising her son (plus the fact that I have Google to thank), there are still times when she seeks my advice and direction. I mean, I did raise four kids of my own after all.
The issues are mostly minor medical ones, such as when my grandson should be seen by a doctor for a strange rash or a slight fever. Thankfully, he’s a great eater, but a lousy sleeper. And I assured my daughter one out of two was not so bad, as all of us seasoned moms would know it could easily be neither one!
But now, after being a grandma for the past three years, I’ve realized that most of the time, my daughter needs to be reassured that she is a good mom by the one person who gave her life and taught her everything she knows.
And that essentially is the payback or coveted promotion for a mom. After years of raising a sometimes challenging child, my daughter has grown up and is passing on all those life lessons I taught her to another precious soul. And when my toddler grandson asks everyone from his mom to the neighbor’s dog, “Want to go to Nanna’s house?” that’s pure unconditional and devoted love that fills my heart enough for a lifetime.
