Dance Recitals and Other Grandparent Perks

This spring 3 of our 5 granddaughters, all of whom live out of town, are in dance recitals. If you have never attended a dance recital you are missing a whole new level of experience…especially if it is like the 5 hour marathon one we attended a few “seasons” ago. Too bad they don’t give air miles for this or perfect attendance pins.

This spring 3 of our 5 granddaughters, all of whom live out of town, are in dance recitals. If you have never attended a dance recital you are missing a whole new level of experience…especially if it is like the 5 hour marathon one we attended a few “seasons” ago. Too bad they don’t give air miles for this or perfect attendance pins.

Fortunately the studios where our granddaughters participate produce really enjoyable performances  – well costumed and choreographed with quality music that is pleasant to listen to. One of these studios focuses on Christian values – dancing to express praise and worship of the Lord, teamwork, encouragement and character development.
 
Attending dance recitals is part of the DNA of grandparenting as is attending soccer games (grandson), choir concerts, fundraisers, camp closings, track meets, football games, high school musicals and a myriad of other activities one’s grandchildren might have a penchant for.

While it may sound like a burden to bear, I can guarantee you that my husband, the grandfather, and I will be there – camera in hand, ready to cheer on and support our grandchildren. It is the most energizing and entertaining pastime we are a part of which we consider a serious privilege. It is one of the ways God has provided for us to connect with and support these precious gifts from the Lord and their parents. Your presence matters.

There are other important grandparent roles: praying for our grandchildren to handle the challenges of their generation to live within the culture without conforming to it; listening to them and asking questions about their day, their friends, their fears, their dreams; inviting them into our lives whenever and wherever possible to spend the night, the week, the holidays with or without their siblings and cousins.

I love the 21st century relevance of Amy Carmichael’s 19th century prayer for the children of the Dohnavur Fellowship in India- copied here:

" Father, hear us, we are praying,
Hear the words our hearts are saying,
We are praying for our children.
Keep them from the powers of evil,
From the secret, hidden peril,
From the whirlpool that would suck them,
From the treacherous quicksand pluck them.
From the worldling’s hollow gladness,
From the sting of faithless sadness,
Holy Father, save our children.
Through life’s troubled waters steer them,
Through life’s bitter battle cheer them,
Father, Father, be thou near them.
Read the language of our longing,
Read the wordless pleadings thronging.
Holy Father for our children,
And wherever they may bide,
Lead them home at eventide."

Whether it be for dancing at a recital or struggling in a crisis the petitions offered in Amy Carmichael’s prayer reflect our hearts’s burdens for our grandchildren and for their legacy. May God grant us these petitions.