You think you know, but you don't

One year and one week ago, the most wonderful thing happened: I became a grandmother.

The whole time my daughter and son-in-law were expecting, friends kept telling me "You'll love being a grandmother. It's the best thing in the world."

I'd nod and smile and say, "Oh, yes. I know."

Because I thought I did. The thing is, being a grandparent is one of those things you think you know what it's going to be like but until you actually do it, you have no idea. Now, I know my friends were right: I love being a grandmother. It's the best thing in the world.

Being a grandma has helped me discover things I used to know but had forgotten. For one thing, I'd forgotten how much people love babies. There's just something about being around an adorably precious grinning little guy that makes the world a better place. I literally have watched folks go from forehead-wrinkling frowns to full-faced delight when they spy our grandson in cute mode - which, as his grandmother, I have to be honest and admit is pretty much all the time.

(Note to President Obama and other global leaders: Having trouble ironing out your differences? Bring a baby along to the negotiations and see what happens. I predict world peace in three days. Or less.)

I also had forgotten how much work it is to raise a family - and how glad I am to have passed that job on to the younger and more agile generation. Finally.

There are diapers and feedings and car seats and laundry and lugging and tugging - and that is just before lunch. I can barely keep up with my daughter's pace, and I have no idea how I did it 25 years ago.

It's not only the physical labor that's tiring, either. I'd forgotten how wearying the worry can be, too: Are those just sniffles or is it something worse? Why did he wake up crying?

Plus, with a toddler there's that constant always-on-alert vigilance. I somehow had forgotten how enticing everything looks to a 1-year-old. No time for relaxing there.

To tell the truth, sometimes when I'm visiting I'm glad I can get kisses and bye-bye waves and head back to my normal life where I can leave a cup of coffee unattended and take a shower anytime I want.

That doesn't make me a bad grandma, though. Because isn't that what grandmas do best? We swoop in with unconditional love, lending a hand where we can and a sympathetic ear when needed and then, just as our parents did, leave our children to figure it out on their own.

As long as they invite us back the next day for more.

Cathy Wood is a freelance writer living in the Shoals. For more for her, visit TimesDaily.com.