A real blessing of retirement is having the time to spend with my granddaughter, Haley. Yesterday, was a no school day for her, so we went to see "The Amazing Spiderman." A couple of weeks ago, we went to see "Captain America." Next week we'll go see "The X Men: Days of Future Past." This is really fun for me first because I get to spend time with Haley, second because I love going to the movies, and third because I love these comic book heroes. When I was a kid, my mom would bring home stacks of comic books with half the front page torn off which meant they were out-of-date and not saleable.
Yesterday, after the movie Haley and I were talking about her upcoming summer vacation. Except for a week of camping with her parents, she said she has nothing planned. So, I asked her if she wouldn't like to have adventures with Nana. She thought that sounded like fun, so I'm going to be thinking about what we can do in the great northwest that will be both fun and doable for both of us. Fortunately, I've saved magazine and newspaper articles that reference various places around Seattle to which we can drive or get to by utilizing public transit. In fact, one adventure may be to take public transit from the beginning to the end of a route and back. Best of all, the information I've saved is about places or things I'd really like to see/do, but have had no one to accompany me in the past.
One thing that worries me just a bit about Haley is her tendency to make abroad sweeping statements about a particular possibility, i.e., "I'm afraid of heights." This means she doesn't want to try the huge ferris wheel on the waterfront, have lunch in the Space Needle or even go up in the Smith Tower...I've lived here for 60+ years and I've never done any of these things, but not because of height fear. When she makes these broad statements about what she is afraid of or will NEVER do, she always gets the Nana lecture about how she is limiting herself by making these choices/statements.
Yes, I do know she's only 12, and still has a lot of growing up (don't we all, no matter the age) to do. I'm also sure that as she grows and matures, many of her current fears or dislikes will be discarded and replaced by new ones which, in turn will be discarded and replaced again as she matures further. It's all part of growing up and we each do it in our own way.
As I review the various choices for Summer Adventures With Haley, I'll keep in mind her preferences as well as my own. There are many adventures from which we can choose; and, no matter the choice, what's important is that we will be making Haley/Nana memories and enriching both our lives. I'm sure to blog about at least some of these fun times here.
Do you have a grandchild or grandchildren? Are you doing more with them now that you are retired? And, don't you just treasure that time together?
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