Grandparents

My mom was just here for 5 days to see "the baby". She glanced at me every now and then, but her main concern was connecting with her baby girl. Grandparent visits are a time to get a bit of a break but most importantly it's a time for me to get my "Mommy Report Card". I always wonder if my baby is smart enough, dressed properly, eating right, too clingy, shows affection.......the list of questions can go on for pages. My parents are a bit skeptical of our plans to home-school through 8th grade, but my mom is very pleased at my 2 1/2 year olds vocabulary and counting and letter recognition. She is most impressed that she can name all of her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins by photograph. We make sure of it because our visits are often so far between, we want her to recognize everyone. As my mom descended down the escalator my daughter yelled and pointed, "GRAM!" and my mom was off to a great stay. Now that she's gone, I wish she lived closer. I will encourage my children to stay near me when they get older or find a place where we'd all like to relocate. I think so much mental and financial strength can be gained by families staying together and working together toward a common goal, be it business related or personal family goals.