Being a grandparent is a wonderful thing. There are so many quotes that describe the experience:

• “Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap.”  – Doug Larson
• “Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old.” – Mary H. Waldrip
• “An hour with your grandchildren can make you feel young again. Anything longer than that, and you start to age quickly. ” – Gene Perret

And the list goes on and on………….

But when I was searching for quotes about grandparents, there is one experience that I frequently have, that I could not find captured in a quote….and that is the fun experience of seeing your grandchild do something their parent used to do… when your eyes are trained on your grandchild, but your mind immediately flashes back to the scene of their parent doing the very same thing…that sort of moment.

I’ve had many of those moments….and I could spend hours sharing them with you… but here’s just one.

One day, when our son Brian was 2 years old, we couldn’t find him. We had been playing on the patio in the backyard, and I had gone into the house for just a second.  When I came back out, he was gone. We called his name and began frantically looking for him. He couldn’t have gone far! I was gone just a few seconds!  The gates were locked… he HAD to be in the back yard.  I don’t recall exactly how long it was before we found Brian… probably 2-3 minutes, although it felt like 2-3 hours. My husband had put a “doggy” door in the wall of the garage, leading to a shelter for our dog, Buffy.  Brian’s curiosity, which was always great, had compelled him to crawl into the dog space, to see exactly how much fun that might be. 

And this is the moment that caused this flashback… Brian’s daughter, Ella, crawling into Riley’s (our dog) crate.

And there is Brian, gently removing her. I have a feeling he understood.