My next opportunity to grow as a grandparent arrived with Maddison

My next opportunity to grow as a Grandparent arrived with the birth of Maddison. She is the only child of my adopted daughter Bethany.

Bethany and I met through my daughter Christina when she was attending Barstow College. Bethany and I both had very similar childhoods growing up and are both estranged from our biological mothers. Due to the estrangement from our own biological mothers, we bonded rather quickly.  There were definitely bumps as she was already an “adult” and I did what I could to help guide her in making better choices to have a productive and happy adult life, especially as those who should have been there for her, clearly were not.

When Bethany informed me that she was pregnant, at first I was not sure how to react. I was concerned, as any loving parent would be due to the circumstances in which she got pregnant. 

Bethany and Maddison came to live with us when Maddie was about 2 1/2 years old. While we had some "growing pains" in adjusting to having a toddler in the house again, Maddie also had some learning to do as well with rules and structure. She had been taught some very inappropriate things by others (not my daughter) who should have known better, especially the ones who were in charge of educating children in the area they moved from. 

The first time I had to put her in time out, it broke my heart. I waited until Grandpa took over and went in the room and cried.  I was afraid of being the type of "Grandparent" that my own biological mother had been; overbearing and not respecting of my daughter's authority in her own child's life.

Bethany got a job at the local hospital and we quickly got Maddie on a schedule. She started Pre-K and we all worked to keep a structure and schedule that was best for Maddison. We had tea parties and dress up and play dates at the park. It was one of the best times in my life. It brought about healing that I never fully realized I needed. 

I knew from that point forward that no matter what else happened in my life, I was blessed. I was blessed in having the opportunity to see my children have children and love my grandchildren with all my heart and soul.