On March 2 at 3:39 pm at Overlook Hospital in Summit, NJ, my first grandchild Leah Catherine was born, seven pounds and seven ounces of pure rosy pink joy! All seemed well at first, but a few hours later, she had difficulty breathing and wound up in the NICU, where she remained for eight days. Thankfully, Leah recovered fully and is now thriving happily at home.
As new parents, our daughter Katie and her husband Steve were completely unprepared for this. Yet through it all, they showed remarkable strength and resilience, which never wavered despite their exhaustion and anxiety. I was amazed and admiring of them both. After watching my daughter rise up to face this experience, I have no doubt of her readiness for motherhood!
But am I ready to be a grandmother?
I’ve thought a lot about the kind of grandmother I want to be. I want to be the kind who showers the child with unconditional love. Who creates magic memories laced with laughter and hugs. Whose home is a warm haven where a child is cherished for who they are, on good days or bad. A home where prayers are said, and dreams are encouraged. Where mistakes, messes, and misbehaviors are handled gently and quickly forgotten.
And how do I mother my daughter now?
I want to be there for her with the right kind of love and support. To avoid adding my own unnecessary pressures or unrealistic expectations to her life, especially around family gatherings and holidays. To keep from offering my unsolicited opinions or advice on parenting…I know this will all be easier said than done, and I will be tested at times!
What I know for sure is that love and faith lies at the core of all of our best behaviors. But can I commit myself to manifesting that love in the way that this new family needs?
Let’s hear from you – what are YOUR experiences? As women of faith, how have you influenced your families in positive, Godly ways?
- If you’re a mother, what is/was most important to you in the way your mother or mother-in-law related to your children?
- Were there things that were difficult or upsetting? How did you manage them?
- If you’re a grandmother, what are you doing to create special relationships with your grandchildren? Your son or daughter and their spouse?
- What mistakes have you learned from? What pitfalls should be avoided, in any of these important relationships?
- Are their things your own grandmother did, that you’ve carried on in your family?
Dear Sisters, thank you ALL for your wonderful comments! Leah is 5 weeks old now and it has been like a lovely dream of life. Our Easter together celebrating new life in our family was blessed. Keep the good wisdom coming! Are there any good spiritual books you’d recommend for grandparents? Good prayer books to read to children?
Dear Sisters, thank you ALL for your wonderful comments! Leah is 5 weeks old now and it has been like a lovely dream of life. Our Easter together celebrating new life in our family was blessed. Keep the good wisdom coming! Are there any good spiritual books you’d recommend for grandparents? Good prayer books to read to children?
Being a Grandmother for the very first time and each time after, reveals to me that the Legacy of our lives as Catholic Moms is so very important. Just three years ago, when our youngest of three was married, I remember praying to our Blessed Mother as they offered flowers before her image. It happened to be the day that our Parish was making the Consecration to Jesus through Mary. My heart was overflowing with Joy and Thanksgiving and I couldn’t help but dedicate them to Mary as well. Shortly after, the Novena to St. Anne was upon us and my prayer at that time was to receive the grace to some day be the kind of Grandmother she must have been to Jesus. I said “some day” because the newlyweds were just starting out as a couple, still had so much to still learn about married life and managing a home on their own. Well, St. Anne stepped it up a notch and just three months later we learned that they were having a baby…a Honeymoon Baby! From that day on, life for all of us has never been the same. Less than three years later, Skylar Ann is now a Big Sister to Olivia Marie! You always hear everyone talk about the wonders of Grandparenthood, but until that day comes, it is difficult to understand. We learn so much in the course of parenting…what to do and what not to do…but as a grandparent, it all comes together and we learn what is truly important when it comes to being there for our children and our children’s children. Our faith cannot be denied. Our prayers, our words and our actions become more focused. Our Love for God and His Love for us becomes the glue that holds our family together.
Congratulations Cathy! Leah is beautiful. Such a blessing, such a gift.
I am blessed to be grandmother of 11. ( We have 5 daughters). What a blessing. Of course I see all the mistakes we made raising our children glaringly as our children make those same mistakes with our grands! But I also see the things we did right. One of those was homeschooling. I was able to homeschool our youngest daughter and then several years later, because our daughter and her husband did not feel able to homeschool I was able to do it for them when their middle son began to flounder in school. Those four years got him back on track and he is now a thriving adult. When I was finished with that I was then able to assist a younger daughter who was homeschooling her four children. What a joy these young people are today. I loved parenting and love grandparenting as much oreven more!