It’s official! I am now a grandma. What an exciting time. Little Braylon has blessed us by beginning the next generation of our family. We now have five generations living…4 of the five living together in one house. I really DO believe that generations belong together!
Intergenerational living is a blessing…but not without it’s challenges. Grandma has dementia, so living with her means being careful with noise sometimes. But then, living with an infant means that too. Living with Gram means watching tone of voice, because angry voices make her nervous. With dementia she wonders if the anger is directed at her. But then a young child feels that same thing, so we’ll be careful with our tone of voice. Living with a baby means lots of laundry. Sometimes living with a grandma means extra loads of laundry in the middle of the week too. A baby wakes up hungry, and he must be fed NOW. A person with dementia that experiences low blood sugar from hunger can also be very cranky, and she must be fed NOW.
When you get right down to it, living with a grandma and living with an infant mean pretty much the same things…we need to keep the house safe, we need to keep them clean, fed and comfortable to keep the peace. It also means that when we get it right we are rewarded with a smile or a snuggle that makes everything worthwhile. Nothing better than a gram who smiles sleepily and says “I love you.” Nothing better than a grandchild that snuggles into your neck and tells you with his entire being “I love you.”
This time with four generations living together may last for just a short while…but I intend to treasure every day that I have with it. I believe that generations belong together, and I am so blessed to live it.