Oh my, I was completely blindsided by the experience of becoming a grandma. Being a parent is spectacular and there aren’t words for the love you feel for your children. But it was so different with the first grandchild (I don’t know yet about subsequent ones.) There is all that love and encompassing emotion and awe, but none of that feeling of overwhelming responsibility. I didn’t even know that was there when my kids were little, but it was. With that grandchild you get to sit back and watch in wonder, your heart just swells and your chest almost pops open when you see them. And thats what I do, sit back and enjoy. We have been fortunate. We were able to watch little Alex from when he was three months to a year two full days a week, and believe me that was enough at my age. (Of course I would have done more if it was necessary.) From about 6:30 am until around 6 pm and some times later. We keep him one weekend a month now.
I am afraid I’ve bored all my students with stories, and now I get to bore you. Watching an infant, being involved (and related!) without feeling like you are responsible for his development is a rare treat. You get to observe and assist. What has struck me forcefully is the patience and the joy with which little Alex does things. For instance when he was learning about gravity one day he delighted in picking up a toy, stretching his little body up so that he could lift it over the arm of the lawn chair and then watch it fall when he let go, over and over, much longer than any adult ever repeats anything. Then he discovered that if he let it go in different places it fell in different places. Over and over; stooping then standing, stretching up, moving his arm and letting go; learning to pick up and let go, refining the motor skills in his hands as well as the arm muscles and hand eye coordination to let go where he wanted so it would land where he wanted it. Each time he was entirely pleased with himself even when it didn’t land where he intended. I didn’t have to say a thing and gradually he got better and better.
This past weekend we got him a bat and ball (he turned three the first week of August) and we had a great time taking turns throwing and mostly missing with the bat (he learned to choke up on the bat and turn a little sideways). But when he did connect it was even more fun to run and chase and tackle each other. He doesn’t care that they don’t tackle in baseball, he knows they do in football and that looks like fun too, at least the way we do it. He knows they slide in baseball and the other player comes close to tackling, so he slides and I tackle/hug or vice versa.
Find out what's happening in Dexterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
If only we adults could approach our own need to change and practice in the same joyful and free way. This small infant has taught me patience and to look for the joy in small accomplishments, and the joy in movement itself. There is freedom in making mistakes because we learn from them. When I am trying to deepen one of my yoga poses I try to be more like Alex: do, watch, adjust, wait and enjoy. Do again. Then be satisfied. Does it always work so that I am patient? No. But I do make progress.
Sue Salaniuk Intermediate Senior I Certified Iyengar Teacher. Each week one of the teachers at the Yoga Space shares her thoughts and experiences in this blog. The Yoga Space is a studio just east of Dexter serving Saline, Chelsea, Manchester and Ann Arbor. We have been helping people with their flexibility, strength, focus and stress management for over 14 years. Our new session has just begun and all classes are still open. We offer a free class the last Friday of each month from 6-7 pm. 180 Little Lake Dr #1 Ann Arbor, MI, 48103. www.yogaspaceannarbor.com 734-622-9600