“If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I’d have had them first.”

Lois Wyse

Grandparenting is the best.  My daughter and son-in-law, along with their 1 year old son, moved in with us two months ago, while they are remodeling the house they bought.

We had forgotten what it was like to have a full house all of the time. Before they moved in, it was quiet. And actually quite boring.  We spent way too much time on our computers.  Now we wake up in the morning to the babbling of our grandson.  We wait each day to see what new thing he has learned to do.  He is like a sponge.  He may not be saying a lot of words, but he understands everything and makes his needs and wants known.  And those hugs.  Oh my, they just melt your heart.  As one of the women in my PD group says, her grandchildren are her vitamins.  How true!

Last month,  my oldest daughter, her husband and almost 3 year old daughter came to visit.  It was total, wonderful chaos for 10 days having everyone here.  I honestly don’t remember how we managed when all of our daughters were home growing up.  We were much younger and had much more energy than we do now.

But the best part about having everyone here is that we forget about all of our aches and pains.  When we are with our grandchildren, the Parkinson’s or other ailments are the farthest thing from our minds.  We chase the kids around.  We play with them.  We dance with them. We get to spoil them.  And then, when we are tired, we give them back to their parents.

It is a perfect arrangement.  We are going to miss all of the activity in the house when they finally move into their new home.  And when we need our “vitamins” , they  will be just a mile away.  If we get too lonely, we can just move in with them.