One of the mistakes I made with my step-kids was not taking the time to go outside and play with them nearly enough. I was overwhelmed by the cooking, cleaning, laundry, dishes, helping with homework, maintaining sibling peace, and working full-time. I missed a lot of precious time with those two kids.
While I read to my step-kids as often as they’d let me, it was usually at bedtime and they fell asleep before the story was finished. I didn’t run around the yard with them nearly enough. I was often too tired for much more than an evening board game.
I believe that my relationship with both of them would be much stronger if I’d simply taken the time to go play more often. Oh, we did things together. I took them to various places like theme parks and zoos, but I missed a lot of everyday things like tag and hide & seek because I was too busy.
I’m not going to make that mistake with my grandchildren. I’m going to enjoy every moment possible with them. Therefore, last Sunday evening when my grandson asked me to go outside and play with him, I dropped what I was doing and went out to play.
We had a great time chasing each other around the yard. After he got tired of running, he followed me to the garden and helped me pick some vegetables. To my surprise, he knew the name of each vegetable and asked me if I was going to make a salad.
I was blessed as a kid. Both Mom and Grandma P. spent a lot of time giving me their full attention before I started kindergarten. They worked with me on my letters, numbers, colors, and shapes. They played games with me and read the same books over and over as many times as I wanted to hear them.
My step-kids had attentive grandparents, too. They were surrounded by love and attention. They’ll carry those sweet memories with them for the rest of their lives.
I hope my grandchildren cherish their time with me when they look back at their childhoods. I just wish I’d spent more time with their parents when they were little. Thank you for reading Ozarks Maven! If you’ve enjoyed my little seeds of wisdom and joy, please subscribe to Ozarks Maven, Like Ozarks Maven on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter @OzarksMaven.
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