10 Nov The mountains we climb for our grandchildren

“Climb every mountain…..”

So sings the Mother Superior in the Sound of Music.

Little did she know that The Travelling Grandparents mountain climb every time that they visit their lovelies.

Why?

You see our daughters seem to have an affinity for stairs, steep stairs, and strange curved staircases. And we Grandies aren’t getting any younger.  Just listen to our moaning knees that cry in pain every time we climb the stairs in their houses.  Even the family dog is having a hard time.  Some days, she just gives up and remains upstairs until we call her for a walk.

But when the grandchildren sleep upstairs, what do we do?

We climb those mountains!

The best climb is the BEDTIME CLIMB.  Babies must be put to sleep in their cribs….and what could be sweeter?  A kiss on the forehead, a caress on the cheek, a “goodnight, sleep tight, see you in the morning…”  Each moment is more precious.

Then they graduate to the Big Bed so there is room for Grandma to snuggle in for a story and a lullaby.  At first, one story and one song satisfied the child, but as each grew this bedtime became the most wonderful moment of the day.  We gossip and giggle and have so much fun.  One mom inevitably ends up yelling at me for prolonging bedtime with my nonsense.  She is absolutely correct! Who wouldn’t want to drag out the good times?  One of the grandchildren keeps a flashlight next to his bed, and we lie in bed making animal silhouettes on the wall.  We laugh so hard…I close my eyes hold my breath and internalize these times so that I can recall them when I am home and lonely for their touch.  Recently, it is the IPAD that accompanies us as we have our goodnight snuggles.  Grandpa squeezes in with one grandchild and I squeeze in with the other and away we go.

Should I mention the “I can’t find my…..Grammy did you see my…If you don’t find your…” so it is up the stairs and down the stairs.  Our knees are constantly being lubricated and it is all worthwhile to avoid tears and to help the children and their moms avoid stress.

And that seems to be the metaphor for our lives.  If we want something, we must work for it.  If climbing mountains means being with our grandchildren, then climb the stairs we will!

Did I mention that we  just moved to a condo?

-Didi Marks

Didi Marks is an educator who left the classroom and developed a private practice specializing in remediation and learning skills coaching.  She is currently retired and divides her time between Toronto and Florida with her husband Alan of 53 years and their 13 year old dog Sugar.   Didi has two daughters, three grandchildren, and two grand-dogs.  Unfortunately, her daughters’ families live in cities that are in opposite directions, which necessitates long drives on a regular basis.  In her spare time Didi can be found doing aqua-aerobics, playing bridge, reading, and baking her famous “killer-brownies” and “car-cookies” to bring to her grandchildren.