Time Flies

Almost thirty years ago, I tried to sleep, but tossed and turned as I thought about checking into the hospital the following morning to have labor induced. For whatever reason, my son, Adam, had decided he wasn’t yet ready to make his entrance into the world and would have to be coaxed. (Although, at the last minute, he did decide to meet his Mommy and Daddy without the “coaxing.”)

Tonight, my “little boy” and his wife, Emily, are preparing to check into the hospital for the arrival of their first child (and my first grandchild), Tommy.

I can hardly believe my son is going to be a daddy. Today, my mind has been filled with as many thoughts and questions as when I awaited the birth of my own children.

• What will Tommy look like?
• Who will he favor?
• What will Tommy call me? (I think I’ve chosen Grammie, but I know I’ll be called whatever he wants to call me, and the name will grow on me.)
• What is Adam thinking about being a dad? Does he feel ready?

I know from being a mom that there will good times and challenging times in the years ahead. When we brought my daughter, Andrea, home from the hospital, I remember an almost overwhelming feeling:

THIS IS FOREVER.

Not just until age 18 when they leave home, but FOREVER.

So, I’ll always be a mom. That’s probably why my brain is abuzz with all kinds of advice to give Adam and Emily based on lessons I learned (some the hard way). But I also know they’ll have to learn many themselves and I need to keep my mouth shut. Even with adult children (maybe even more so?) there’s a fine line between saying too much vs. not saying enough–between doing too much vs. not doing enough. It’s the same back and forth dilemma I often faced during their childhood–just a different set of circumstances.

It really is true. Being a parent, and now a grandparent, is FOREVER. And learning to do it properly, with all the mistakes that come with it, is apparently forever, too.

So tonight, we begin a new chapter . . .

Adam, 1 month