To My Daughter’s Grandmother

There is never a week that goes by, if even a day, where my mom and I don’t express gratitude to each other for our close relationship and the love that we share. Even though we live multiple states away, a day is never the same if we don’t talk. Some days we talk for hours, and some days we are both busy and can only manage a five-minute call. Long enough to just say hello and wish each other a good day. She knows every day how much I care. So this isn’t for her.

This is for the Mom that might not know that. This is for my daughter’s other grandmother. The woman who is a mom to me while knowing me enough to know that I’m my own mom’s girl through and through. The woman who knew that my mom would be in my delivery room without question and still asked if she might be in with us too (not knowing that I would never exclude one grandmother and invite the other, regardless of which one gave birth to me).

This is for the woman who my daughter and I spend our Saturdays with, picking up things we need and giving me the opportunity to spend the day away from home with another adult to talk to. For the woman who offers her home and washing machine so that we don’t have to spend money every time we need to do a load at ours. This is for the one who makes dinner on Monday (but not Friday, because “I don’t cook for nobody on Fridays”). This is for meeting her friends with my daughter in tow and hearing them all tell my baby “I see your pictures all of the time!” For the respect she shows us in asking permission before posting our daughter’s pictures on her Facebook page, and for understanding why we don’t want that to be a regular thing. For her patience in knowing that my daughter is the same kind of momma’s girl, and allowing my daughter to open up on her own time, just as she was patient with me when I needed time to do the same. For learning, like my own mom did, to let me be reserved when I need to be. This is for the respect she shows me in my role as a mother and the decisions that her father and I make for our daughter. For the excitement that radiated from her when our daughter said “gamma.” For knowing that her granddaughter has been giving kisses for a month and a half but is still respectfully waiting for her turn. This is for her letting her new watch be decorated with drool when her granddaughter inevitably reaches for it, every time.

This is for doing everything my own mother would do without trying to be my mom. For learning that what I need from her is friendship instead. This is for all the little things, and the big things too.

Just in case my “thank you’s” have translated to me simply being polite because you know that’s how I was raised. Those “thank you’s” mean that I really appreciate all the love and support you provide to your son’s family; our family.

Throughout life, we’ve all heard mother-in-law horror stories. I’ve read at least three this week alone. That’s not our story. I want you to know that I see the love and respect you have for me, especially in my role as a parent, and I love you for it. So, thank you. We’ll see you on Saturday!

 

Halie
Halie is a southern girl at heart. She was raised in Georgia and moved to Omaha in 2014 to be closer to her long-distance boyfriend. They both have a love of the art; she draws and paints while he is a singer in a local vocal group. They welcomed a baby girl in 2016! Her long-term goal is to become a foster parent. Until then, her ambition is to gain the knowledge and experience needed to be able to have a positive impact on those that may need it.

1 COMMENT

  1. Beautifully written. Makes me miss my former mother in law! What a joy it is to have a good relationship with the mother of your spouse. May you have many, many more wonderful experiences together to deepen your relationship.

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