spending time with my grandson

Liam and I had planned on this day for 3 months, ever since his 5th birthday. Actually, I'd been looking forward to this day for all five of his years. Ever since he was born, I had dreamed of the day I'd be able to share with him my love of the theater. Today, I took him to the Children's Theater to see their production of Mercy Watson to the Rescue. As a birthday present, I gave him the book and bought the tickets when they were available a few weeks later. He had insisted on reading the book several times over the ensuing months' wait. One day, he told me he was wondering how in the world they'd make Mr. and Mrs. Watson's bed fall through the ceiling and how they'd make a pig talk. Today, we found out!

It was such fun, watching Liam's reaction to the play. He laughed at all the jokes, wondering out loud about different things. (I was hoping the people around us didn't care if he was louder than he should have been, given their kids were prone to the same thing at times.) To see it through his eyes made it immensely more fun than had I seen it without him.

For me, spending time with a child, especially either of my grandchildren, is one of the greatest blessings in my life. After both of them were born, I was with them from 6 AM to noon every day for 6 weeks while their mother recovered from cesarean sections. Ever since then, with the exception of the one week a year their extended family on their mother's side spends at their cabins together, I have had a "Nana play date" every week and often more than that. All of this has served to forge deep relationships among us. I'm their beloved "Nana" and they are my beloved "grands". I joke that now I know the reason I had children: to have grandchildren! Of course, it's not entirely true...I loved raising my children...but trust me when I say that having grandchildren is in a sphere all its own.

Today, as we walked the block to the theater from my car, Liam skipped along, stopping to pick up those little seedlings that children call helicopters. He wanted to show me how they fly through the air and insisted that I try a few. Then, he found a puddle in the middle of the sidewalk and there was no way he could walk around it. He said, "but, Nana, it was there in the middle of the sidewalk" when I asked him if he really had to walk through it instead of walking around it. (Of course, having raised a passel of kids myself, I knew he HAD to do it before he even did it!) Then, he wanted to know if I'd let him climb a short brick fence so he could walk along on it. Yes, I said. Did he want to hold my hand? (He did.) The thing for which I wasn't prepared happened as we walked back to the car. He asked if he could whisper something in my ear: "I have to go to the bathroom." Now, I'd asked him before the play began, I asked him at intermission, I asked him as we exited the theater. Each time I got a negative response. Now, all of a sudden, the kid had to gooooo! We got in the car, with me driving as fast as I could to a local gas station. No bathroom there! I drove as quickly as possible to a place where I knew there was a McDonald's because we'd talked about going for ice cream after the show. We made it and Liam told me he was glad I didn't speed because we could have had an accident if I had. Well, I thought, we--he--could have had an accident if I hadn't sped (just a little!), too! We both were grateful for each green light that we had passed through along the way! Ah, the adventures Nana can have when spending time with grandchildren!

As we sat outside the McDonald's eating our ice cream, a woman came up, trying to engage Liam in conversation. He was polite enough. I suppose I was, too, but I think we both deeply resented her intrusion. For just a little while, he and I, just the two of us, were in our own little world. It was a special time for both of us.

I will never understand how it is that some grandparents insist their grandchildren be aborted. Anyone ought to know that all grandchildren have to offer is pure joy!