I’M A GRIEVING GRANDMA. And the cause of my grief is quite simple: all of my children, for various reasons, live overseas. Which means that, rather than growing up in New Zealand, my 7½ grandchildren are growing up in Canada, America, Australia and Qatar.
My oldest granddaughter, Amelia, was quite distraught when her mum and dad said they were leaving to live in the Middle East. I tried to be brave but I must admit it was heart-wrenching to see them depart.
While all the others have been gone for years, I had enjoyed a lovely few years of being a hands-on grandma to Amelia, and her Mum and I are great friends.
So, to help her settle into her new country, I gave Amelia a cute stuffed llama that I’d bought in Peru. And I taught her to pray, holding the llama and asking God to be her special friend.
I’ve never pressured the kids about my faith. But I do think children need someone to talk to when nobody else seems to understand. We parents are so flawed, and we don’t have all the answers to their needs. We may even be part of their problems at times. And I think it’s good for them to know that there is a ready ear when life tumbles down.
Prayer can give them strength and hope and faith and peace. And to deprive kids of access to such resources would be a real pity, I reckon.
