Babies to people

We childproofed our home number years ago and they're still getting in! That’s a joke.

My little granddaughter loves to manipulate all around her into a great circle, holding hands and saying in cadence, “Family, Family, Family”.

Sunday, my son and daughter-in-law brought by the most wonderful chicken soup for lunch. Kelli had learned to make homemade noodles and had added a pressure cooked chicken. It was a gastronomical delight. I would have eaten more than I should but at the door came my Princess daughter and in tow my favorite granddaughter. We ate soup, drank a little wine and enjoyed the wonders of my family. I try to see the subtle changes that make that little blond extrovert into who she is becoming.

The front door opened and there was my favorite grandson with mom following intently. Little Joe had come over for his monster truck that “Pop Pop” had fixed. MM and Joe had brought their own lunch and we were just one big family in the manse. Joe went outside to play in the little wading pool and I went out and watched the little sweet one pour water over everything.

I tried to remember my little Larry when he was young. I really didn’t take enough time to just sit and watch him when he was little. I do remember musing over what he would become just as I also thought deeply about my little Joe. Just as all were getting ready to leave here came JR.

Family, Family, Family.

I believe that when we were born, certain personality traits were already imbedded in our being. There is no changing the nature of what we really are at our core. Nature vs. nurture has proven that nurture plays a part in a child’s development; the encouraging, caring, guiding, equipping, and cultivating which a parent, grand parent, family and environment provides. But there is also a nature part of a child’s development; it’s his or her individual nature and personality. We can nurture our children and train and equip them all day long, but there is a natural characteristic to them that we must accept; their personality with their strengths and their weaknesses which we should value and appreciate.

It was a great feeling of when my children are born and again when there are grand children to nurture. Bonnie and I probably try and imagine what these little bundles of joy will grow up to be like. It would be great if they grew up with the bright outgoing personalities mirroring the mothers and the great organizational skills of the fathers or some other admirable characteristic. I can imagine each will be a little version of the parent’s personalities combined. Then, all of the sudden to our surprise they become their own little personality. We discover we can’t raise them the same way. Not only is getting used to a brand new personality and temperament a challenge, but when you have multiple children and now grandchildren, the complexity grows even larger!