I make a photo book for each of my grandkids on their birthdays. When I started, it was more to help their parents than giving the kids a gift. I know it’s hard to keep track of all the pictures through a year. This way, they at least have some of them in one place. Of course, I can’t fit them all from the year. I try to keep organized through the year, but I sometimes fail. It makes the project a bit more cumbersome. If I’m not organized, I run the risk of leaving out groups of photos, and I have.
As the kids get older, they are more invested in them. They get excited and look at them throughout the year. They love pointing to themselves on every page and telling stories they remember (or make up). Recently, I got a message through a thread I have with parents. They were on vacation, and one of the kids needed to tell me a specific picture was for next year’s book. She even told me what the heading on the page should be. She’s invested, and I love it.
I’m still in the early stages of grandparenting, but there are pieces of it that remind a lot of parenting. I did my best to savor every stage of my girls’ lives. Not every stage was easy, but there were wonderful moments in each. I appreciated the growth, and I tried to never hold them to a specific stage or push them into another. I didn’t always succeed, because change can happen so quickly that I’m not sure I was always in tune with where they were. Of course, grandparenting is different, because I’m not responsible for the day to day care. I’m not with them as much as I was with my kids. I savor the adventures we have. I treasure getting to know them. And they are constantly growing and changing.
As I create each photo book, I get to look back on the previous year. It’s a process of bonus appreciation. And now that they want to contribute, the process is so much richer.
No matter where you are and the opportunities you have, look for and appreciate the snapshots you get to experience. No one can be present for every snapshot, but we can stay alert to the ones we get to snap and store.