Remember
“I got a fortune cookie that said, ‘To remember is to understand.’ I have never forgotten it. A good judge remembers what it was like to be a lawyer. A good editor remembers being a writer. A good parent remembers what it was like to be a child.” – Anna Quindlen
I used to laugh at my children when they were little because they would think that they were being so sneaky – I realized that my mom didn’t have eyes in the back of her head, I just wasn’t as sneaky as I thought I was when I was their age.
Now, with Sarah and the kids living here, I get to laugh even more as I watch Sarah deal with teenagers and hormones and meltdowns. It is so much easier to stand back outside the drama and smile!
But laughter aside it is good to remember how hard those years were to live myself, and then how hard it was when my kids were teenagers. I find that I can spot early warning signs of behavior that a good conversation about now, will hopefully prevent the meltdowns of tomorrow (both for the grandkids and Sarah!).
It is part of the blessing that we have with a multi-generational household. While it has its trying moments, I love my grandkids being here and being such an intimate part of the their lives. I wish the others were closer too!
