Grand Futures

I am stating the obvious; grandchildren will grow up. As grandparents, we are even more certain of it, because we saw it happen to our children. When my daughter was twelve I wrote the poem below. Finding it brought back memories of being there in those growth 'spurts' but still being surprised by them.

How Did You Get So Big?

How did you get so big?

And where was I?

You were loading the dishwasher, Mom.

You were folding socks.

I know, but I used to carry you in my arms and now

I have to stretch around you

and you squirm and squeal.

Mom, I'm not a baby.

But you did sleep in a crib at one time

with a little wind-up mobile that played Rock a Bye Baby.

And now, I lay on your bed and listen to the

approaching drumbeats of your teenage years

booming from your stereo

And where, oh where, are all those other years?

You were there Mom, I promise.

You were driving me to ballet and buying me plastic charms for my necklace.

You took me to swimming lessons and to grandmas on Sunday for dinner.

I have to go now mom,

I'm going to the mall and my friend is on the phone.

We'll talk some other time.

I'm glad to see you grow my dear sweet little girl.

It just goes by so fast

and you are changing in so many ways,

but one things stays the same

I'm always here for you.

In Annie Dillard's memoir 'American Childhood,' she writes about growing up in Pittsburgh during the 1950's. She writes about 'waking up' and discovering the world around her.

"An infant watches her hands and feels them move. Gradually she fixes her own boundaries at the complex incurved rim on her skin. Later she touches one palm to another and tries for a game to distinguish each hand's sensation of feeling and being felt. What is a house but a bigger skin, and a neighborhood map but the world's skin ever expanding?

In the news today there's an article on a study about what Grandparents are spending. I like to be reminded about the importance of our grand children's future and what better way than socking away a few dollars for the college years. The writer suggests that we put $25.00 into a college saving account on their birthdays and gift times. See the Forbes article under the Grand News on the right of this page.

Probably the best gift we can give them today is being available for them as they bloom and grow. For some of us that means playing with them, for others it might be sending them an email.