I came across an interesting blog post today written by Tara Mohr. Tara writes and teaches women how to bring about positive change in their worlds. Much of what she writes about sounds good to me, but affects me very little since I have no inclination to be a mover and shaker in the business world. Today she wrote about Grandmother Power. I very much desire to be an excellent grandmother.
A grandmother is in a unique place in the life of a child. We are less bothered by the everyday things that mothers and fathers need to worry about. Those of us without a workplace calling us each day, have more time. We have time to listen to long, involved stories and imaginings. We have time to sit in the morning before school and just snuggle. We have time to 'just be with'. The value of time to 'just be with'.....I think it is very underrated in our busy, frantically paced world. Nothing builds confidence in a child like knowing that someone has the desire and time to sit or walk with them and listen to whatever they have to say.
I know that not all grandmothers have the time or proximity to their grandchildren that I am privileged to have, but there are children and young men and women everywhere who need us to 'just be with' them...for whatever amount of time we have. Maybe it is someone in our place of employment who just needs someone to listen -not to judge or lecture-just to listen and 'be with' them. Maybe it is a neighbor child or a child struggling to learn to read, who just needs someone to spend some focused time helping them over the hurdle in front of them. That can be life changing for them.
Does something a s simple as 'being with' children, equate Grandma Power? I think so. My grandchildren have wonderful parents but I have a special role in their lives that gives me an influence that no one else has.....and influence is a tremendous source of power. I believe grandma power goes beyond our immediate family to influence the schools our grandchildren attend, the neighborhoods they live in, and their future families. And families and relationships are the backbone of our worlds.
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