What I Hope My Grandchildren Will Never Know
What kind of world are we leaving our grandchildren?
Pexels | pixabay / Justlight | Getty Images I have to confess that I can’t wait to be a grandmother. No pressure on my kids, of course, but I’m hoping I can help take care of their little ones. I’d let their babies sleep on my chest for hours. When they get older I’d get down on the floor and play with them (if I’m able). I’d make myself available to help as much as my children need me.
Still, part of me wonders what kind of world my grandchildren will be born into. I think about the pandemic and whether that will still be happening. It scares me more to think of what is happening to our government and what life will be like depending on who is president.
I worry about pollution and climate change. Will they have to clean up the enormous mess someday, or will it be too late by then? Will they have to live on a fast-dying planet?
I’m also concerned about people.
In this generation, we’ve seen a lot of cruelty in this divided country. When some didn’t care about the pandemic, even when babies got sick and died, it seemed like the point of no return. Some people didn’t worry about their fellow man and refused to do anything to protect each other or protect themselves. This was all under the guise of freedom, but I can’t think of anything more important than the freedom to live.
Not to brag, but all three of my children are wonderful people. They’ve grown up to be smart, funny, generous, and caring adults. To say that I’m proud is an understatement. All I ever hoped for them came true.
They are much wiser than I am. Each one of them would make an outstanding parent. I still struggle to be the kind of mom they need, even though they tell me I worry too much.
When they were little, I took them everywhere. I remember shopping with my firstborn son when he was a toddler and the way he would rub his face along the soft clothes and giggle. I took all three to the grocery store where people told me it seemed like I had my hands full. It was never like that, though. The kids made it easy.
Will it be safe by then to gather with people in a park or a mall? Will our country be so fractured that they have to be careful of everyone they meet? Will there be food shortages like we’re starting to see now? What kind of jobs will be out there? My grandkids shouldn’t have to worry if somebody will hate them for their personal views. There’s already too much hate in the world.
Maybe my children are right and I do worry too much.
If I’m ever blessed enough to have grandchildren, I just want them to have happy and fulfilling lives. I hope they pay attention to simple things like a bright blue sky or a deep conversation with their best friend.
I believe we are a changed people because of the pandemic and politics.
We plan for tomorrow while barely remembering what things were like yesterday. Sure, the world wasn’t perfect then, but there was less despair. There weren’t mental health outbreaks by the hundreds and thousands like today. Not to paint the picture of an apocalypse, but we are certainly different because of all the tragedy we’ve suffered.
Maybe I’ll have grandchildren or maybe not. I still want to leave a better world just in case. Hopefully, that’s something everyone can agree on.
Glenna Gill is a writer and blogger from Charlotte, North Carolina. Her articles have been featured in Scary Mommy and P.S. I Love You. When I Was Lost is her first full-length book, a memoir of love, loss, and hope.