When we moved into our first house, mortgage and all, we became friends with the people behind us. It might have never happened if we didn't have a friendly dog and if they didn't have a friendly daughter who loves animals.
Their younger daughter was 10 or 11 at the time and over the next few years, we got to know each other quite well. When we had sweetP, the younger daughter, Ballet Dancer, would come over almost every day for the entire summer and play with him and give me a break for about an hour. When we were having a discussion on time (the grownups) about who would get our kids if something should happen to us, their parents said that we were closer to the girls than all their relatives and they would trust us to raise them. We became their back-up parents.
Over the years, we have been through the ups and downs of the teenage years, the boyfriend dramas, given advice that sounded remarkably like what their parents had said and been to many a dance recital. We are family. We call Ballet Dancer, sweetP's big sister, and they are still very close even though we moved away from the neighborhood. Velcro was not too happy about the move. He lost his doggy door and personal groomer all at once.
So Ballet Dancer's big sister, Princess, met Mr. Right after many Mr. Right Now's and got married last spring. And while I was in Reno, I became a back-up grandparent when Princess had her baby.
So while I am in no danger of actual grandparenthood, I do get the honorary title.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
good for you! those honorary relatives are sometimes the most important. i had a dear woman in my lif for many years who i called my "surrogate mom." she wasn't in the giving-birth kinda way, but she was in the caring kinda way. when i got my first apartment she gave me a bed (which i no longer have) and a set of copper-clad pots (which i still have, and i think of her every time i haul them out).
it says a lot about you that you would take this on and be such a good friend to her.
Congratulations!
We spend Thanksgiving and 4th of July together every year. I always wished I was from a larger family. So we made one of our own. We now live 20 minutes apart, so we don't see each nearly as often, but still talk all the time.
Most of the best friends I have are surrogate family. Extended family works too.
Good for all of you. It sounds like a lovely situation all around.
Post a Comment