The Gift of Grandparents
By Charlotte Phillips
On Mardi Gras day, my in-laws beat us home from the Zulu parade, ready and waiting to pick up our four sweet kiddos before making the five-hour return trip back to Florida. My husband and I told them to spend the night and leave the next day. “If we wait until tomorrow then we’ll lose part of our day of playing with them,” my mother-in-law said. I couldn’t help but smile, because at that moment I didn’t know who was more excited, our kids or the grandparents!
As most grandchildren do, our kids love spending time with their Nonno and Nonna. I can hear the smiles on the phone as they tell me about their day of swimming, fishing, riding their bikes and making slime. Or, if my husband and I are also here, but have work to finish up, there is such joy watching them pile into the car to go to the beach or to visit their great-grandparents down the street.
Seeing their joy of spending time with their grandparents reminds me of all the fun I had with my grandparents growing up. There was something almost magical about staying with my Nana and Paw Paw. I am so happy our kids are also growing up with the gift of grandparents who love spending time with their grandchildren.
