By Vicki Scott
This COVID-19 pandemic has left me missing our grandchildren so badly.
We often Face Time, but it is not the same. I could just kiss my grandchildren’s face off, but I cannot, so I must be patient. Tyler Kate and Saylor Rhea call almost every day and fight over who can hold the phone. Tyler Kate can now talk, and she asks for her mom to call her “Papa.”
When my husband Alan answers the phone, we hear “Hey Papa, hey!” We do not hear from other grandchildren, Ava Jaymes and Addison Victoria, as much. They love us but spend more time with their “Yai Yai” and “Papu,” our daughter-in-law’s parents.
Before all the chaos of the coronavirus, we tried to visit all our grandchildren equally. I think of Alan’s father when we do this and try to be like he was, in the way we never knew who his favorite grandchild was. The best scenario is when we are all together, like the time we were at Niffer’s, a restaurant located near house on the lake. After some children took a toy that Saylor was playing with, Ava stood up to them and let them know that her cousin was playing with that toy and they had to share it!
Addison is young and seems glad to see everyone. She is one happy baby. I love the way she touches my face.
Ava Jaymes clearly would rather be with her Yai Yai. My son will tell her to hug me when we come for a visit, but I do not want her to hug me unless she wants to. She is more comfortable with her Yai Yai, and I understand that. Yai Yai was in Ava Jaymes’ life first and spends most of her time with her. Hopefully one day Ava Jaymes will be more comfortable with me, but I do not want to take anything away from her Yai Yai. God did not force me to love Him, and I do not want to force my sweet Ava Jaymes to love me. When she is older, she may realize she has enough love to hug me occasionally. So, I will wait. When we get the okay and God is willing, we will start visiting again and spend more time with all our “grands.”
People talk about having mansions in heaven, but I do not care if I even get a house. I will be happy sleeping on a cloud. I just want to be in God’s presence. I do not need Ava Jaymes to love me more than her Yai Yai or anyone else; I just need a hug every now and then. Ava Jaymes’ love would be nice too, but it will be up to her. If the truth be known, her Yai Yai is amazing! I would like to spend more time with her and her family. We all went to Orange Beach and had a blast!
I would not mind Face Timing Yai Yai and saying “Hey, Yai Yai, hey!” I will not do it, because that would be weird, but Yai Yai is amazing, and Ava needs to share.
Soon and very soon, when this pandemic has settled, I plan to hug and kiss all our grands and hang out for a long while – if they let me. Y’all who still see your grandchildren, count your blessings and give them a hug for me. My day is coming.
Stay safe, y’all!