The other day I had the unique experience of taking my granddaughter to a show in town. Seeing her face light up with all of the different characters she’d seen on TV was amazing. Of course there was the added expenditures of the gadgets the hawkers were selling, a picture taken with the make-believe feature, ice-cones, and cotton candy, but it was so worth it. To have that time with her and the idea of just us celebrating her birthday was a real joy.

She helped me to remember not to take our time for granted. The connection that was reinforced during that brief period will hopefully never be broken. Although she’s young and has a lot of other family members to spend time with, ours is truly a bond we’re enjoying together. Although at first it wasn’t my deepest desire to drive  downtown, fight some traffic and walk around with what seemed like thousands of other families doing the same thing, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

We took pictures together, laughed and really had a great time. Afterward, we went for pizza and although she was tired and whined some it didn’t stop us from continuing to have a fun time together and reminded me once again of why I enjoy grand-parenting.

Mark Ellison, LAMFT