Nana Holds From Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power

Thanks so much for coming by today for a little break from it all. I’m so happy there is you to share this life-changing series with. Grab your coffee and come on in!
You know, the more people I talk with, the more I realize that George and I are so not alone. There are so many parents out there whose adult children are moving back home, and something even more startling is the truth that many grandparents are raising their adult children’s children! Many parents wonder where they went wrong but I am coming to learn that is not necessarily a cut-and-dry answer to this puzzling reality, a phenomenon that seems to be spreading like an epidemic.
The truth is our kids have their own tapestry that God is painting with the choices they make and only He has the power to turn some of those ugly colors splashed into the tapestry by their bad choices into something awe-inspiring and beautiful. How do we not resent them, though, is the million dollar question and reality that faced me day in and day out, especially in the beginning of our Bryden adventure!

Bryden loves to dance!

As the weeks turned into months, I was able to push my resentments away and for the most part, put my agenda on the back burner. After all, He had allowed this circumstance; I knew this with my whole being. Just because I didn’t know why He had allowed it didn’t disqualify me from showing up for duty. So showing up and shutting up became easier as did some of our responsibilities. What was incredibly important to me was structure for Bryden, some sense of stability for this little guy who had been uprooted like a root-bound plant without ever having rooted, or sprouted for that matter.

Happy and goofy boy!

I was incredibly mindful of that and I while I pitied him for what he has had to endure, I also wanted and continue to want to protect him from having to bounce around again. That was absolutely first and foremost in our hearts; that Bryden be in the best place for him with the least amount of chaos and confusion.
Getting to know him after getting over the shock of living with him is like going to school all over again, and yet, I have been in this class before so I have a little advantage. But oh, am I ever in need of a refresher course! And talk about all the gadgets and toys! TMI! And don’t you just love those car seats? I think I need to go to Car Seat University to not only learn how to put the blasted thing in my car, but all the does and don’ts, too!

happy and goofy boy!

Changing a diaper was a bit slow in the beginning, but that changed real quick-like! Besides, who wants to act like an AARP candidate while trying to change a poopy diaper?
Yes, routine and structure went a long way in easing much of the tension I felt in the beginning, especially the tension created from not really knowing what role I play in this little guy’s life, but as I struggled to work through all of that, there were many sweet moments and memories that we all made that I wouldn’t trade for anything, not my own agenda, my own space, a cleaner house, nothing.
Join me tomorrow for more of Nana Holds.
Evinda