My husband and I went on a date recently, our first date in forever! I put on a pearl barrette and broke out my nice boots. We had her grandparents all lined up for the evening. We made a reservation at a wine shop and looked at the appetizer menu, looking forward to some lobster mac and baked brie.
We pulled up to my in-law’s house to drop off our toddler Violet. We put down her diaper bag and took her coat off. Nana set out her favorite toys and started to play with her. “Okay,” I said, getting down on my knees, “Mommy and daddy are going bye-bye, but we’ll be back soon.” I braced myself for the scream, for her to fall into me and hold me tight. It never came. She looked at me with a huge smile and said, “See you, BYE!”
I burst out laughing. I was horrified but amused at the same time. Here is my little girl who would scream bloody murder whenever I left the room. Now she was anxious for me to go so she could play with Nana. Her grandparents have been watching her for a few months now while I’m at work, and wow, how things have changed!
My family and I never lived close to family. My husband was in active duty service in the army, and we lived as far away as Germany. This was particularly hard on our parents’ when our daughter Violet was born. The pain was clear on their faces over Facetime when we would share that Violet was smiling or rolling over or walking. We sent many pictures and videos, but the pain was still there. This year, that changed when my husband got out of the army, and we moved to Indiana. We settled in our hometown of southern Indianapolis. Now that we’re home, they get to take care of Violet while I’m at work. Both sets of grandparents watch her!
It’s a blessing we don’t take for granted. As my husband and I pulled away from our in-laws for date night, a huge smile was on my face. Violet has her own routine when she goes to her grandparents. I recently discovered she loves the book Chicka-Chicka-Boom Boom, which I had never read to her. Nana introduced it to her, and she now knows the story by heart. My mom also introduced her to Sunday school songs, and she knows them by heart. Violet has her own little worlds, and she learns and grows so much from her grandparents’. It gives me so much joy that Violet is growing and thriving.
