I have the joy and incredible privilege of being a grandma! As shocking at times as it is for me…..to realize I have arrived at this phase of life, I guess I should give myself my own advise and take that “reality pill!” It is a glorious matter to be a grandma or “mama” as my 3 year old grand daughter Evah Michelle calls me.
I observe my grand daughter on a regular basis and for this ‘gift’ of time in her life I am eternally grateful. She rocks my world. She is so full of life, of everything good, of hope, of faith (the confident expectation of good coming), of curiosity, she is a true blue imagineer and creates stories, adventures, pets, friends, scenarios, you name it and she is creating it with her glorious
ninhibited imagination. I marvel at Evah’s confidence and know she is being ‘fed’ from so many in her ‘village’ that love her dearly and hope all good things for her life and future. I am a firm believer that it takes a village to raise a child. Kuddos to her parents for not being ‘control freaks’ and doing it solo as so many do today.
Evah is very young I know, yet she has a confidence that I marvel at. She enjoys people, places, things very much, and can speak her mind when she is not ‘into’ any of those three areas! She is being guided by her parents to be honest with her feelings and to express them without fear of being punished, fear of ‘hurting’ someone’s feelings, nor having the need to please everyone.
Being raised ‘conditioned’ if you will, to be truthful about how she is viewing the world around her, respectful of others, yet at the same time to respect herself and her emotions. Giving her space to be…… herself, to communicate how she feels and what she is experiencing in my opinion will only be beneficial for her as she navigates through life. So often children are clones of their parents and have to spend so much time later on ‘finding themselves’.
Creating an environment for Evah to be free to be herself, to create, explore, express, with no strings attached is truly an empowering culture she is in. We parents, often desire and at times expect our children to be courageous, yet it is difficult to be courageous, (the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger or pain etc., without fear), without first providing an environment, a culture where they can first be…… themselves and build their confidence (their belief, trust in oneself and one’s own power and ability).
For Evah, my hope is that she will remain strong and courageous. That she will continue to explore, use her beautiful imagination, experience the beauty around her in our big beautiful world! Yes, to believe in herself and to continue to develop her abilities to discover the power within, so that she will be none other than her amazing self……..Evah Michelle Olynick.