Will You Still Need Me...

Ah, yes. Who will ever forget the Beatles' lyrics, "Will you still need me, will you still feed me when I'm 64?" Back then, 64 sounded so old, didn't it?? But now we know that 64 isn't old, it's the prime of life; we're still active, we're still engaged, we're...

OLD!!! I never realized it until I tried to keep up with my granddaughter. Babysitting a seven-month-old child is exhausting. It takes both Tom and me to keep up with the feeding, burping, changing, bathing, playing, strolling, walking, consoling, cajoling and napping. When she naps, I nap. I'm not letting this little one get ahead of me; she seems to start out with so much more energy than I. Just this evening before dinner, Tom looked at me and said, "I'm tired. It's really amazing how much energy all of this takes."

I think part of it is the getting up and down. Not from a chair, but from the ground. That's where babies play, you know, on the floor or on the ground. Sometimes on a mat. But way down there. And I'm just not as agile as I once was. Plus my left hip bothers me if I'm sitting on a hard surface, and actually my knees don't bend like they once did, and I'm not even going to talk about my lower back. I can't believe that at home I go to the gym and play tennis several times a week. For Heaven's sake, I'm ancient!!

I think another part of it is the emotional energy it requires: you're never able to let down your guard. Babies are just itching to stick their little fingers in electric sockets, or crawl to the top of the stairs, or taste the cleaning solution under the kitchen sink, or drink from the toilet bowl. Well, that last one pertains more to dogs, but I bet babies would too, especially if they saw their dog doing it.

Despite all these difficulties and despite how old we might be feeling, we've decided that being a grandparent is one of the best jobs possible. Nothing else compares to seeing your grandchild's face light up when she sees you. Her smile can melt your heart and her tears can break your heart. And when she grabs your hand or falls asleep in your arms, then you forget about being old or achy, and only think about the power of love and the great blessing of time spent with the child of your child.