Monkey see. Monkey do…….I saw this principle lived out so many times when our children were growing up. Yes, kids are little sponges with eyes, ever watching, learning and mimicking. Now that our kids are grown, the one thing I would tell any young parent is that even when babies are on the floor just sitting up and not even speaking, they are “absorbing”!! Just like a dry paper towel that you put down on a spot of spilled milk…..they are soaking in every detail of what they see and hear!!!! For some reason, I don’t think I really realized their ability to absorb when mine were little, at least I didn’t with our first. I was so busy doing what I had never done and figuring out the “newness” of what being a mother entailed that some things just didn’t resonate with me until the second and third came along. There are some things that resonate with me even now when I am able to step back and observe young mothers with their kids.
I can’t wait to be a grandparent…..if you are my kids… and you are reading this…..don’t rush your lives on my account……. I am finding my “Glam-ma” fix with other people right now…..and their kids!!! Yes, I am at the stage in life where I am watching my close friends take on a new role in life, that of “becoming a Grandparent!” I love to watch them……Just the other night I had fun sitting around a table at a party with a bunch of my friends listening to the excitement about grandchildren yet to be born, and stories of keeping grandkids over the holidays!!!
My friends who are becoming grandparents are having parties called, “Sip and See.” I went to my first one this spring and got to ooooh and awww over my dear friend Helen’s new grand!!! I had a ball! I especially loved everyone talking about what they wanted their grandchildren to call them….I even learned you can google…..”special names for Grandparents!” Of course I went straight home and googled…… I had a blast reading all the names……cookie, poopsie, dah, boogie, ta ta, da da, and even poop pa…….LOL!! I love the names of some of the grandparents I know and love today. Names like……dear and toshie, mamie and pops, mimi and papa, g-mamma and g-daddy……cat and nat!! I am having a ball just deciding what my name is going to be on the Back 9……mimi, queen or maybe even “Glam Ma!” LOL!!!!! I promise the queen or glam ma would be a take-off from my pageant days……!!
I am also looking forward to doing things with my grandkids that I think are of upmost importance. I want to live my faith, share my faith and basically pour into their lives the love of Christ!! Now that is what I think Christ would look at as a real”Glam Ma!” I am so blessed to have had Christian grandparents and to watch our kids have Christian grandparents. I am eager to duplicate Christ to the next generation! Living the scripture found in Psalm 145:4, “One generation shall praise Thy works to another, And shall declare Thy mighty acts.” And the example found in 2 Timothy 1:5, “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois, and your mother Eunice…”
No matter what stage of life you are in, you can have an impact on others. You don’t have to wait for a special name like “poop pa” or “glam ma” to duplicate Christ to the next generation.