Yesterday I shared my heart on my burden to serve my family in the best way I can as a grandmother. Today I would like to share more practically what this looks like in my daughters house. Maybe it will encourage some of you older women by spurring some ideas of how you can bless your daughters.
Earlier I started making a list of things that I can remember that I do here, that have blessed me and hopefully blessed others. There has never been a moment since I began doing these hidden and special things that I have felt irritated, or misused or that it’s too much or that I have had my time with my own children and now it’s there responsibility. Not once!
I have only had blessings to my heart, lots of laughter and building, building, building relationships. I always ask before doing something, unless I already know it’s ok. I do not want to take over, be bossy or have anyone think I know better.
It is hard when you are the grandma and see your children doing things differently than you did. But, I have found that they need to be doing things their way, as God has shown them, not how I think God has shown me. I am learning every day, how to be a better Grandma.
So, I thought I would share with you some of the ideas and things that have come into my life that I do here. The Lord has directed my feet to spread love around this home in these ways.
- Help in the house wherever I can, with whoever I can.
- Help the children keep their rooms clean
- Help the children keep their drawers clean and ordered
- Put new soap out in the bathrooms
- Put new toilet paper out in the bathrooms while trying to show the children to do the same.
- Check the bathrooms after the children have cleaned them (we live upstairs in their big plantation house and my daughter and son are on the main floor, so it is easier for me to make sure things are running smoothly upstairs while Jenny is working downstairs)
- Take the children to the dollar store and let them get some things
- Take the children to the Chick-Fil-A “Let us Treat You Like Royalty” night
- Take them to the park, then to the dollar store, then out to eat for dinner and a special place for dessert.
- Keep the baby that is now weaned in our room at night so mom and dad can sleep all night. (Jenny’s note: Isn’t that just the GREATEST?)
- Change poopy diapers and occasionally come down stairs and step in one that someone else has left on the floor and laugh about it!
- Run to Walmart for something the children really need
- Take your grandsons to the store for propane when one of the boys that has a forge and needs it and then do some unexpected shopping they wanted to do.
- Take the girls with us while we do a craft shows and use them to demonstrate. Make them feel special.
- Wipe up sinks wherever needed and pick up what doesn’t belong there.
- Buy things like gates and walkers for the baby that make grandmas feel better!
- Help your granddaughter that just got a sewing machine learn how to use it. Watch her make her first things on it and see the joy on her face!
- Remember that you have little hearts that you are dealing with and be gentle while loving them to pieces no matter what they do.
- Helping the boys figure out what is wrong with their helicopter and looking on line for how to fix it. Oh and don’t forget to order the parts they need in case they break again.
- Praising the children when their rooms look great!
- Helping them make them look great when they don’t.
- Getting your daughter special things once in a while to remind her that you love her as much if not more than you did when she was little! Don’t forget your son in law too!
- Watching your adult children raise their children and keeping quiet while they do it (still working on this one)
- Skyping with your other grandchildren and daughter that live far away and telling and showing them what is new.
- Learning how to talk back and forth on the computer with your 10 year old grandaughter that lives in England (while she teaches you!)
- Emailing with your grandchildren, helping them with their spelling at the same time.
- Sometimes taking one child at a time somewhere special.
- Taking the boys to the Army Navy store and letting them really look around!
- Finding WWII German hats so they can think up their own war stories.
- Play Uno with all of them while helping the littles.
- Let them help me with my Scentsy.
- Let them all gather around and help me open my Scentsy boxes.
- And as in the photo above, cutting out paper dolls!
- Giving them chocolate sometimes 🙂
I could go on and on and on. Hugging, laughing, playing, watching, reading…..don’t lose opportunities to be young again by forgetting that Grandma’s and Grandpas can do lots of special needed thing!!! This is what the Lord intended as we get older….we are to spread the love everywhere we go!!!!
MamaMo is the wife of one wonderful man (for over 40 years), mother of 3 beautiful grown children and their spouses, grandmother of 12, craft show vendor and Scentsy Certified Consultant. She wears many hats, but her favorite and most special times are with her grandbabies! The oldest is 14, the youngest 9 mo old! (By the way, MamaMo also happens to be my own dear Mama!)