When I Am A Grandmother...

September 1999

This month, I am pleased to welcome Jan Barger, IBCLC as "Guest Mom." Jan and her husband of 29 years have three children. Jan and I first "met" on the "Parenting As Ministry" listserve (aka PAM) where we both serve as POPs ("PAM's Official Prayers"). Jan is an RN, with a BA in Psychology and an MA in counseling, and is an IBCLC. She has a private practice, works as an IBCLC for a pediatric group and teaches aspiring lactation consultants through Breastfeeding Support Consultants. Jan also edits the breastfeeding column in the Mother Baby Journal and a newsletter called "Clinical Issues in Lactation". She is one of the "lactation experts" on the BabyCenter web site. I respect her not only for her clinical knowlege, but also her love for the Lord Jesus and her desire to serve Him with every area of her life. With her kind permission, I am reprinting her aspirations for grandmotherhood here (though currently she is only Grandma to a cat...)

When I am a Grandmother...

When I am a Grandmother I shall have a purple sling
And carry my grandbabies around the block and to the market.
I shall adorn my fingers with amethysts,
my feet with shoes of fuchsia,
And wear a pale pink hat with cabbage roses.

We shall play dress-up with plastic pop-beads
and pearls from Japan,
And I shall be the Queen of Old.
We shall ride in a purple convertible to go to the zoo
Where we will make the monkeys laugh
and dance in the fountain.

We will have dinners of popcorn and peanut butter ice cream
With chocolate chip cookie dough for dessert.
And I shall grow an ample bosom and not worry about calories
or carbohydrates or cholesterol.
I shall sit on the floor playing Barbies and Legos and Monopoly,
And read them Bible stories and books about Narnia and Aslan by candlelight
While snuggling in the fort under the dining room table.
We will stay up late watching old movies,
And they will fall asleep on the futon in the basement
Where I will watch them tenderly and pray that they learn to love Jesus.

I have taught my children about birthing and breastfeeding
and attachment parenting,
So they will not be a bit surprised to find
That when I am a Grandmother I shall have a purple sling,
And wear my grandbabies close to my heart.

written permission.

I think I'll start stitching my purple sling for a new kind of "hope chest"...

From our home to yours...

Deb

For other "musings, " please see Previous Month's Musings