A few years ago I was helping plan our high school class reunion and one of the friends responded she couldn't come because that was the week of "cousins' camp" at their beach house. I didn't have grandchildren at the time, but the notion stayed with me. As time passed, grandchildren blessed our family, we acquired new names (Lollie and Pops), and the idea of having the grandchildren come to us for a cousins' gathering came back to my mind. So five years ago, Camp Lollipop became a summer tradition.
At first, Pops questioned why I thought all this was a good idea--having responsibility for grandchildren without the parents--and at times I pondered the decision as well. However, each year has revealed the nuances of the kids' evolving personalities, and we get to see the progression of maturity and development up close and personal. There is also a different dimension of each child when they're together without parents. A unique sense of familiarity causes them to feel connected to each other and rather than causing conflicts, it establishes a culture of unity. It's "them versus the world." This year they sealed the bond when they they created the secret Strange family handshake!
On our property we have six glamping tents. Compared to some, these are luxury tents, complete with air conditioning, real beds and full bathrooms. Nevertheless, Pops gave me "a say what...?" look when I suggested he sleep with the boys in one tent and I stay with the girls in another. He certainly got the easiest part of the deal. All he had were two boys, ages 11 and 8, who fell asleep before he finished zipping the tent, while I had a bed full of giggly, talkative girls. But what fun it was! It didn't bother me that the two six-year-olds wanted to shine the flashlight under the covers and play cards till all hours, and I didn't mind it when they piled on my bed and kept me awake. I woke each morning feeling refreshed and as I lay in the bed, listening to the myriad of birds' voices twittering, chirping,and warbling, I smiled knowing Pops and the boys would be at the dock already making breakfast and tempting the fish to bite.
The children were so harmonious. At one point I sat on the dock watching the hummingbirds chatter and compete for dominance at the feeders while I listened to the tapping of hammers as the kids engaged in a string art project. I delighted in hearing them comment and compliment each other on how the crosses they were working on were turning out.
After lunch came the quintessential shaving cream fight, followed by taking turns on the huge waterslide. All day I had vicariously experienced the thrill of losing control on something like a slippery giant banana peel and plunging into a pool of icy cold water, so when the granddaughters begged me to get on it with them, I was easily enticed. Not that I had the nerve to slide down the thing, but I did get in the pool of water at the bottom and pretended to be shocked when two little girls conspired and doused me with a bucket of water ("because my hair needed to get wet"). For a while I played with them in a kids' world where there's no pain, hurts, injustice, or suffering. When the escapade was over I was refreshed physically and emotionally. For that brief period I had snubbed "age" in the face and enjoyed activities whose consequences could be remedied with a couple of ibuprophen!
From the beginning, I've felt there was a higher purpose in this summer tradition.
The opportunity to get to know our grandchildren on a deeper level and have the privilege of investing in their lives is priceless, but this year, the efforts we put forth were no comparison to the blessing we received.
After meals the children gathered around Pops and he talked to them--nothing scripted, just thoughts that crossed his mind. Some of what he said was about things they observed in nature (like what kind of fish were in the pond, the fact that geese mate for life, etc.) He told stories of their dads when they were growing up, which delighted them. The last morning after breakfast, while they were gathered around him, I seized the moment and asked them to each say something encouraging or positive about somebody else in the group. Our granddaughter spoke up. "I want to thank Pops," she said, "for saying things that helped me understand more about Jesus." A little while later she confided to me that she wanted to be baptized in the lake, and she wanted Pops to be the one to do it. My heart was so filled with joy I could hardly contain it. The ultimate satisfaction of investing time with our precious grandchildren!
Many scriptures come to my mind, but the one that stands out most is Proverbs 17:6 (The Passion Translation): GRANDPARENTS HAVE THE CROWNING GLORY OF LIFE: GRANDCHILDREN! AND IT'S ONLY PROPER FOR CHILDREN TO TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR PARENTS."
So for a few short days each summer, we get to experience the bonds growing tighter between them and us, and among them and each other. A young friend made us a wooden plaque with the slogan that sums it up: