Date Night For Parents, Great Night For Grandmother

With many of our family members living in a different part of the country from us, or even on the other side of the world, it is always a treat whenever we do see them.  My wife and I both came from small families and did not have a lot of cousins or other family members that we saw very often.  So, we really appreciate it when our son has opportunities to spend time with members of his extended family.  It is particularly nice because he gets very excited about seeing his relatives. 

Since the middle of last week, Kai’s grandmother has been in town on business and has been staying with us.  We don’t get to see Mama Dell too often, so she always notices how much Kai has changed since her last visit.  This time she was quick to point out how much he is interacting with her, making great eye contact, and behaving so nicely.

Often, when Mama Dell comes to town, she is so busy with work that she doesn’t have much time to spend with Kai.  This time, however, she wanted to give my wife and me a break, and offered to watch Kai one evening.  It has been many, many months since my wife and I had a date night, so we took her up on her offer. 

The evening was a win-win-win all around.

My wife and I had a nice night out, a pleasant break from our usual routine.  Kai had a great time with his grandmother; they played fun games and laughed a lot when she read him a funny book and sang a sweet, silly song at bedtime.  And, when we later returned home, Mama Dell was glowing about how much she enjoyed spending the evening with Kai.  She had earlier lamented that since she lives so far away, she doesn’t feel as connected with her grandkids as she would like.  So, the chance to spend quality time with Kai was very special to her. 

At one time, Kai couldn’t interact with others.  He was difficult to handle.  It was hard for all of us, but particularly his faraway relatives, to see what a sweet, remarkable child he really was.  But, I am happy to say that is changing by the day.

And so, I paraphrase the famous credit card commercial: A night out for Mom and Dad – sweet!  A chance for grandmother and grandson to really bond – priceless!