Last month, the ages of my grandchildren really took up residency in my mind. It’s not as if I hadn’t thought about it before, but this time, it really has given me pause. I’m pretty sure I know what triggered it, but no matter how much I wish time would slow down, it just keeps rolling along.

As the school year continued, day to day routines were fairly predictable. Go to school, come home, do homework, go to after school activities, have dinner, relax, get ready for the next day and go to bed. As a grandparent, most days, the parents dealt with their schedules. I had the occasional call to pick them up, take them to an activity or stay overnight when the parents were out of town, and I loved being able to do that. It was especially fun to hear all about their days. It is nice to know that some things dealing with education never change while others are immensely different. Personally, I prefer the old way in several areas but applaud other changes.

So, what made my brain lock onto what was coming down the road with the grands? It is the fact that these fabulous young people are growing up. While it is wonderful on the one hand, it is happening too fast on the other. Our amazing granddaughter will be a high school junior this coming school year. This summer, she has several college tours lined up. She recently had her first tour of Davidson College. She is fairly familiar with the campus as both her parents are graduates, but learned more about academics and student life. She will also tour Duke, Wake Forest, NC State, UNC, UVA, Princeton and Yale this summer. Yes, she’s not only brilliant, she’s extremely well rounded. 

So, in only two years, she’ll be off to college. It will be wonderful to see where life will take her and what her future holds. My issue is how fast the next two years, if like the first 16, will fly by. Next in line is her brother who is three years younger. Right now, the ages of my seven grandchildren are 16, 13, 11, 10, almost nine, eight and almost six. My fervent prayer is that I will live long enough and have the mental acuity to see what the future holds for each of them.

I am fortunate to live close to four of the seven. I am able to attend their school functions, soccer games, dance recitals and most impromptu family activities. The other three are only a few hours away, so being there for them needs to be planned. I realize how lucky I am to have them that close by. I have several friends whose grandchildren live several states away. My cousin, who lives several months in England, has children and grandchildren who live in New York and California.

Growing up in northern Virginia, I only saw both sets of grandparents once a year. They lived in Texas, and summer vacation always included a trip south. I loved them with all my heart, but it was impossible, in 14 days with each set, for them to really know what my sister’s and my life included throughout the entire year. There was a year of growth both mentally and physically, too many activities and new likes and dislikes, to discuss anything in depth. 

I know how very lucky I am to have this closeness to my precious grandchildren. To see how they are growing and maturing, their talents, their personalities and how beautifully they are being raised by their incredible parents brings me such joy. I guess that’s why I wish time would slow down, so I could enjoy each day with them to the fullest. Then I laugh remembering that, when I was young, every day seemed to drag wishing I could be older. Guess the takeaway from it is be careful what you wish for. Writing this has made me aware of that. So now, instead of wanting life to slow down, I will be grateful and enjoy every day to the fullest, no matter how quickly they go by.