God knew how to encourage us as we grow into the later years of life: He gave us grandchildren! Proverbs 17:6 – “Children’s children are a crown to the aged”.
Bill and I have 8 grandchildren – 7 girls and 1 boy – ages 3-15. How to keep them close and help them to grow spiritually has always been on our hearts since our first grand daughter was born in Sweden in 1995. Through many mistakes, trials and the grace of God, we had been able to raise our three grown children (Dave, Steve, and Leigh Anne Vett) who are all disciples, and felt pretty good about the parenting skills we had learned from many in the Kingdom. But grandchildren! This was a whole new challenge, amplified by the fact that there was a lot of distance (miles) between us and our grandchildren. We are still learning every day, but these are a few things we have been able to put into practice.
PRAYER – Philippians 4:6 – “…but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When our children were young we prayed every day that they would become strong Christians and marry strong Christians. This is also our prayer every day for our grandchildren. We do not miss a day without praying for their eternal salvation. Even though they may be far away physically, we can be a part of their lives daily by praying for their hearts.
Whenever we have a chance to have the grandchildren stay with us in our home, we put them to bed with a Bible story and prayer. Young children always have long prayers as they ask God for many blessings. One night as one of our granddaughters (age 3) was saying her prayers, her face turned very serious, her arms flew high in the air and back down on the bed in strong determination as she finished her prayer with “and God, please help me to be a strong “chicken” and marry a strong “chicken”!! She couldn’t quite pronounce the word “Christian”, but she certainly got the concept!
The oldest two of our grandchildren are now disciples. Only six more to go!
FUN – 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – “Be joyful always.” One of the hardest concepts for me to accept was that I was not the parent but the grandparent. Several years ago when our daughter and her family were visiting, I noticed certain behaviors in the grandchildren that I thought I should correct. And correct I did! After several days, Leigh Anne came to me and respectfully called attention to the fact that the children could not have four parents and that they needed me to be a nurturing grandmother, not the disciplinarian all the time. I appreciated that correction and even though I feel free to bring up issues with the children to their parents or to correct the children when I see the need, I focus more on making them feel very special at our house! I want them to remember “Poppa and Gramma’s” house as a place of warmth and fun!
“Poppa” could be known as “Poppa fun” since he loves to play games with the children and take them to the park. However, a few of these games require water, etc., and can turn out quite messy requiring a change of clothes, washed faces, baths, etc. As the children have grown older, he takes on the difficult task of providing video games that we can enjoy with them!
Since three of our oldest granddaughters are fairly close in age, I wanted them to be the best of friends even though distance separated them. From this desire was born “Grandma Camp” – a week during summer vacation when they were in elementary & middle school. Little did I know how much work this would take! But it bonded all of us together in a very special and lasting way. We had Bible lessons, craft times, movies, games and of course, lots of good food! The next year I was recovering from knee surgery and was thinking about canceling “Grandma Camp.” But the reaction of the girls to this suggestion likened it to a major disaster. “Grandma Camp” just had to happen and somehow, with the help of “Poppa”, it did!
FOOD – Colossians 2:2 – “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love…” In the words of our grandson, Josh, as he was downing a very large chocolate chip cookie, “Why is it that Grandmas are always known for making cookies?” That does seem to be a stereotype passed down from generations long ago. I am determined that our house will always be a place of “anticipation” for our grandchildren as they look forward to the wonderful aromas that welcome them as they enter the front door!
In our granddaughter’s second grade class at school, her assignment was to write a story about a “happy place.” Katianna wrote about “My Grandma’s Back Porch.” She wrote that she could “see the stars or light blue sky” and the “feel of the rocking chair as I move back and forth.” She wrote, “I can hear the birds chirping, the wind blowing, and I can smell the pretty roses. I can smell the food cooking and I can taste the smell of the sweet juicy ham that is roasting in the oven. I can also taste the macaroni casserole that is so cheesy. I can taste the turkey, yummy corndogs and the sweet potatoes that has sugar, pecans and are mushy. I love my Grandma’s back porch!”
I believe it is our responsibility to create an atmosphere of love and acceptance whenever the grandchildren come to our home. By praying for them and with them, and by making our home a place where they experience lots of fun and food, we feel confident that we, as grandparents, are doing just that.
