Visiting Grandparents

Recently, my oldest daughter (age 7) went to her grandparents' house for two weeks.  Her grandparents live 450 miles away.  I see heads snap around and women say, "You did what?!" as if I let her play in a pit of vipers or something.  Yes.  I allowed my seven-year-old baby go 450 miles away to spend two weeks with her grandparents.   Katherine has been once and was too lonely. Annie and Harrison are still too little to be there alone.

There are multiple reasons I think it's good for her to go.  She gets to spend some time alone with her grandparents.  She gets to spend some time being The Only Child - and doesn't have to worry about her siblings (she is a little mother).  She gets to see what marriage vows mean - in sickness and in health - as she watches her Grammie take care of her PawPaw (my father-in-law has ALS).  She gets to see what honoring your parents means as she watches her Uncle Wayne help his parents - either by helping with PawPaw or helping around the house or in the yard.  She gets to serve her grandparents.  She helps Grammie with housework or planting flowers - her favorite job at Grammie's is vacuuming the stairs down to the basement.  As a matter of fact, my mother-in-law called me one day kind of teary - "Let GoofyJane know I need my basement stairs vacuumed and she's not here to do it."  (she started calling Elizabeth "Goofy Jane" when E was there in May because she giggles so much). 

She will be going back in a couple of weeks ago and will again stay for two weeks.  I want her to go as much as she can right now. Some of my fondest memories are of the days I spent at Lake Hamilton with my grandfather.  That Elizabeth make these memories is important to me.