When I was a little girl, I cried a lot. But whenever I did, my grandfather was there to rock me in his chair and he'd always say, "Kimi... there's no crying in Grandma and Poppy's house!" I'd then laugh, and I usually fell asleep shortly after. That rocking chair was the safest place in the world for a sad 6-year-old.
I've lived with my grandparents the vast majority of my life, and they quickly became my two best friends. I've been asked several times throughout my life if it feels any different being raised by your grandparents instead of your parents... and the answer is neither black or white. It is a shade of gray that can beautiful and exciting if you let it be. I do.
When I was little and got nightmares, my grandma would stay in my bed with me until I fell asleep peacefully. She made me dinner every night, helped me with my math problems and waited on the sidewalk outside of my school every day to greet me. She loved me with a fire that never seemed to burn out.
My grandfather played games with me: he taught me how to swim, he taught me how to count and he never forgot to ask how my school day went. But everyone knows how grandparents are... they spoiled me every day. I had it easy in the discipline department even when I was crazy and a troublemaker. They just thought it was cute. I guess that's just what grandparents do.
So yes, I had the basics and I had everything an elementary schooler needs. And no, it didn't feel different until people started asking if it did. It didn't feel different until forms at school said "Parent Signature."
It didn't feel different until my teachers asked who came to my Back to School Night because "it couldn't have been my mom."
Of course, I had to grow up and as I got older I started to feel like I was missing out on things because my life differed from my friends' lives. I didn't know how to answer their questions and frustration occurred more than sadness did. It then started to feel different, but I was never any less appreciative of what I had.
I was grateful, and I was lucky. Grandparents are gentle, and they will love you in ways you didn't even know you could be loved. And mine, in particular, are resilient. They amaze me every day of my life and I am eternally blessed to have shared my whole life with them.
So go ahead and thank your grandparents today. Raised by them or not, they love you endlessly. Be grateful for those kinds of people.
