I saw a New Yorker cartoon the other day where a woman was holding a happy big dog and a little girl asked her, “What’s it like to be the parent of a nonhuman?”
I can’t answer that because I’ve never had a dog of my own. But I can say I love being a a grandparent to my daughter’s two dogs. They’re here right now and we’re having a good time. They’re happy, well-mannered dogs, even after riding in a car for two days to get here.
My daughter warned me years ago that I wouldn’t have grandchildren, just “granddogs and grandcats”. She first mentioned it when she was a healthy, cheeky teenager giving me a hard time. I laughed and said, “Just wait until you’re a parent. Then you’ll know how it feels.” She rolled her eyes and answered, “Give me a break, Mom. I’m never going to have children. There’s no way I’m going to wind up with a bratty kid like me.” 😉
I was surprised that she didn’t change her mind, but I’m perfectly happy with her choice. What about you? Would those of you with children feel deprived if you never had grandchildren? Do you think people are missing something if they never have children? I don’t, even though I’m happy with my own choice.
I have 10 grandchildren (6 boys- 4 girls) & love them all sooo much. But I’ll have to admit I love more, those that I spent the most time.
Jake, I spent the most time with from baby on. He lived in our town. When they moved to Santa Fe I spend weekends with them. He & I entertained each other all weekend. (I rode with my son & his carpool after work on Fridays; back on Monday AM.) I miss those times more than I can say.
Next most time spent was with the Swede grand-girls, because when I went across the world to visit them I stayed a month.
Grandkids are so cute & funny when little and so beautiful when teens. It’s fun to see them develop & be included partly in their lives. (Facebook)
Problem is as they get older so do I. I don’t like that part.
I don’t see my friends without children or grandchildren missing anything, getting filled with other things. (travel, writing blogs etc.)
Remember children bring on some headaches, heartaches too.
bikehikebabe,
Thanks for the great comment. It must have been hard when Jake moved from NM. How old is he now?
I don’t have any children of my own to start with…and I think that was a bad choice (not mine, long boring story) as I now see people of my age having a lot of interesting times with their grandkids.
On the other hand, the family connections see me as some of loose cannon and therefore they only connect with me when they ‘want’ something or usually to put them in a better light!
I don’t know if I told you about the trip away with a couple of family members to visit some cousins that had never crossed my path in last 50yrs! And I was told by the ones travelling with me and the cousins at the destination that I SHOULD KEEP IN CONTACT and they WOULD TOO.
But none of them asked for my contact details and none were given out – this was 6mths ago and one ‘hardly seen cousin’ who organised all this had MADE NO CONTACT
I will not be going ‘again’ to see anyone under these circumstances…
.-= Cathy in NZ´s last blog ..2 of 3 results in =-.
Your daughter is just like my son. He too has adopted dogs as his children and does not want any of his own.
.-= Rummuser´s last blog ..A Journey. =-.
Jake is, I don’t know, about 9 now. A long time away from when on the bed, he jumped all over my back (which felt like a wonderful massage) & I screamed for him to stop. He didn’t stop because he knew we were having so much fun.
Cathy,
I don’t blame you for not trying again, but it’s too bad there’s no close connection with any of your relatives. It reminds me of the saying, “We’re given our relatives. Thank God we can choose our friends.”
Rummuser,
It sounds as if your son is like a grandparent…he gets to enjoy the dogs in the area without having the responsibility of having to take care of them all the time. That’s not a bad strategy by any means. 😉
bikehikebabe,
That sounds like fun. Jake is probably old enough now to have his own interests even if he were still close by. Do you interact with him very much? Do phone calls help?
I don’t have any grandchild/ren yet. Whether they arrive or not has nothing to do with me, mind you if they do, I will be the most boring Grandmother in the world, constantly talking about them.
I see animals as animals. Animals have their place. When I hear people talking to them or about them AS IF THEY WERE children, I want to be physically sick. No wonder people think I am odd!
.-= Grannymar´s last blog ..Harvesters =-.
Grannymar,
“I will be the most boring Grandmother in the world, constantly talking about them.” That reminds me of the woman back in the days when people could choose their own seats on airplanes. She walked down the aisle asking people if they had grandchildren. When they answered yes she moved on. Finally someone said “No”, so she sat down and said, “Good, let me show you the pictures of mine.” 😉
I think a lot of people would agree with you about animals. I don’t think of them as children but as sentient beings with their own personalities. Dogs especially know how to connect with people emotionally.
bikehikebabe,
If they’re both the same age with the same birthday I would say that’s highly unusual.
Jake & brother Nicky interact with Tom & I on Skype but not email.
That reminds me to send a happy B-day message today to one of Lydia’s (Swede grandkid) & one of Marie’s. I guess if you have 10 grandchildren, it’s not so unlikely that 2 will have the same birthday.
the SAME birthday. They are both 15, having been born on the same day.