As parents and grandparents you sometimes question if you made the right decision’s, did the right things, and have we had an impact or made a difference.
Last night my phone rang. It was a FaceTime call from my second oldest grandchild, Vivian (16). Immediately I wondered who died. That child never calls me.
When she was born I was at work. My phone rang and it was my son and he was hysterical. He said they were at the hospital all night, and his girlfriend was just taken into surgery for an emergency C-Section. He said something was wrong.
I immediately left work and headed to the hospital…the longest thirty-minute drive of my life.
When I got there my son was pacing in the hallway and said that nobody had been out to talk to him yet. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, here comes a nurse caring MY baby. I reached for her and the nurse smiled and said, “Daddy first.”
We both checked her over to make sure all the parts came with the finished product.
My son has been up for more than 24 hours so we went into the room where mom and baby would be spending a few days. Immediately he headed for the couch and promptly fell asleep.
Well, since it was just me and Vivian, I decided to take advantage of the situation and sat in that comfy chair next to the bed and stared at her for hours. I rocked her, fed her when they brought me a tiny doll-size bottle of formula, and changed her diapers. I was blessed to do this for almost 8 hours.
Mom had to be put completely under for the procedure so when they wheeled her back into the room, she was in and out all day but mostly slept.
Since my son and his family lived so close to me and my husband, we were always available when they needed us. We watched Vivian grow.
When it was time for day care/school, they enrolled her into a Montessori school nearby. Occasionally we took her to school or picked her up.
Vivian tried soccer and unfortunately when you play soccer, you have to be on your feet. She could always be found sitting on the playing field picking grass or dandelions. She was about four or five at the time. That didn’t work out.
Other activities and sports were tried. None of these were going to be in her future. Let’s try piano lessons. That worked. Let’s try a singing and dancing troupe. That worked and is still going strong. We never miss one of her performances.
Vivian is a genius with a very high IQ. She wants to be an anesthesiologist and has been taking all the right classes in school in addition to some college prep courses. When you ask her why she wants to go into that line of work, her reply is because they make a lot of money.
Being as old as I am, I suggested to pursue something she loves because then she will always enjoy going to work. Not going to happen.
So back to the FaceTime call I received last night. She wanted to tell me that she interviewed for a medical apprenticeship for the summer. She applied but didn’t expect it to go any further. One of the questions she was asked was about the most influential person in her life…and it was me. OMG, I actually had an impact on someone’s life????
She proceeded to explain that she knew what a hardship it was for me to have a baby (her uncle) at the age of 17. I worked hard, went without, became a good cook and baker, worked outside the home, and did what I had to do to make sure my boys were healthy and happy. She actually said I persevered, was inspirational, and a good example of a child raising a child.
If I hadn’t been sitting during this call, I surely would have fell to the floor.
I guess I have made a difference and had an impact on someone’s life.
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