Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Letter from St. Paul

Lost? No, not at all. But I have not had time to blog. I am -- and have been for the last six days -- lost in the world of my two little grandsons, trying my best to be SuperBobi (bubbe/bobi is Yiddish for grandmother) up here in Minnesota. My thoughts often travel back to the 1970s when I was the young mom running from one kid to the next and then one more. Like all other young parents, I hoped to surpass the known bounds of good parenting and be the best mom ever. Duh. Didn't work. But even with all my mistakes, I raised three AMAZING children and now get to watch Jessica, the oldest of the three, thriving and struggling, as all young parents do, with her own two little ones. I vividly remember the first time I held Jessica and looked at down at her face. At that moment, I wondered if anyone in the world at any time in human history had ever loved a child as much as I loved her. The well of love overflowed and after a while, I feared there would be none left for any future offspring. Somehow, though, that well always remained full, and as Sarah and then Joshua entered the world, I discovered I love each of them to infinity as well. Indeed, I love each one differently, but endlessly. So too with my grandsons. Now, of course, the challenge of child-rearing is not mine, and when visiting, I love deferring discipline and other key daily decisions to my daughter and son-in-law. We do the same when we're with Murray's son and daughter-in-law and their almost five-year-old little guy. While we can love to the max, Murray and I made the commitment to ourselves that we would not interfere with our children as they raise their own. It's their turn. However, if anyone asks, you can be sure, Bobi Myra always has the answer. Not that it will be right. But there will be an answer. Did anyone ever ask a grandmother a question to which she said, "I don't know?"

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Tinley Park, Illinois
As a longtime newspaperwoman who left the business to freelance, I want to keep in touch with the world. This is my place to reach out with words.