Telling Your Story
Thank goodness the good Lord turned off the reproductive abilities of people my age. We should not be parents!
Sure, Sarah and Abraham in the Bible were late bloomers, but hey, that was then, and this is now.
Why should people my age no longer be parenting littles? Let's start with the energy factor in this equation. Who has the energy to chase after toddlers day in and day out? Sure, it's fun for a while if you are a grandparent. But every day? There is the race to stay one step ahead of them to keep them from hurting themselves.
Then, there is the laundry—piles and piles of it. For little people, they make a lot of mess and dirt. We want to read to them, play games, tell stories and teach them things they will need to know. And let's face it, we probably want to go to bed earlier than they do.
Adolescents and teenagers require a different kind of energy. Your mental game needs to be razor sharp to maintain that one-step lead. Sometimes, my mind just doesn't want to zero in that hard. And we definitely want to go to bed much earlier than they do.
The second and probably more important factor in the equation of parenting past 60 is this: we just can't say no. I can't even say no to the dog, for Pete's sake! He looks at me with those loving eyes—or are they begging, manipulative eyes? His eyes ask to share in whatever I am doing, especially if it's eating. Then he sweetly lays his head on my lap and just looks at me. Of course, I'm going to share whatever I have at this point.
If I can't say no to a dog, how am I going to say no to a kid when they are acting all cute and innocent like the dog? You know the look—big eager eyes, smiles of anticipation, hands folded at their chest, maybe a little excited dance for good measure.
Please can we binge on junk food every day? Sure, it will be fun!
Please can we stay up all night long and watch TV and play video games? Sure! You can sleep all day following it, school and chores can wait for another day.
Please can we skip chores and not mow the lawn? Sure! I know chores can be sooo boring.
I think you get my drift. If I can't say no to the doggone dog, how can I say no to living breathing children right in front of me? And my adult living and breathing children will affirm that I had zero problems with handing out the no verdict when they were growing up. In fact, "NO" was probably my favorite word.
But that was then and this is now.
It will be an interesting time when grandchildren eventually make their way into the family. They are going to have so much fun.
And may Heaven help their parents when it happens.
Bev Berens is a freelance writer and FFA parent from Holland, Mich. She can be contacted at uphillfarm494@yahoo.com.