The Art of The Worry
I remember a fellow teacher, questioned me about my college age children. She asked, “how are they doing away from home”? “ You are so lucky, they are not home and you don’t need to worry about them”. Yeah right! I divide my worries into general practical worries, and worldly worries. My daily worries are typical Grammy, parent worries.
If you live with children you have specific worries. Did they eat? Are they dressed warm enough? Can I manage my errands around their schedules? Will the little ones nap so I can clean the kitchen? If I am visiting the homes of my children, I can observe and worry about them in person.
Worldly worries are much more general and often the answers lie some where in the future. What colleges will they be attending( in twenty years)? How can the families afford tuition? What will the environment be like in the future, pollution, overcrowding? This kind of worry can and will make you crazy. We do it all the time.
What do other grandparents worry about? They worry about their grandchildren. Are there too few rules in the children’s homes? Are there not enough rules? Are the children too indulged? Do they have enough toys? Do they have too many toys? Did they get enough Covid booster shots. Yes, it is all exhausting.
It is human nature to try to control the details of our lives. This is my long, short list…
