Becoming Nana: What Grandparenting Taught Me About Slowing Down

On June 1, 2021, the world changed.
I became a Nana.

And even though everyone told me what a big deal it would be…that it would knock me off my feet in the best way, I wasn’t prepared.

I didn’t know love could expand like that. I didn’t know one tiny human could hold such an enormous piece of my heart. I didn’t know that becoming a grandparent would teach me more about life than almost anything else ever had.

💙 Meet My Bestie: Avery Jay

My first grandbaby, Avery Jay, came into this world like a firework…bright, beautiful, and impossible to ignore. He’s four now, and every bit of him is magic.

He’s smart. Inquisitive. Strong-willed (a little bossy, just like his Nana).
He is pure energy wrapped in joy.

And I’m blessed beyond measure to live just five roads over from him, right here in our little slice of Texas. Same subdivision. Same sunshine. Same sidewalks. He’s my neighbor and my heart.

🌿 The Lesson I Didn’t Know I Needed

Before Avery, I lived fast. I worked hard. I checked boxes. I did the things. Like so many women in midlife, I was moving constantly…even when I was exhausted. Especially when I was exhausted.

But this tiny human? He made me stop.
Stop scrolling.
Stop stressing.
Stop rushing through the little things that are actually the big things.

He showed me how to sit on the floor and build castles out of blocks. How to belly laugh at nothing. How to pause for ladybugs, airplanes, and puddles.

Avery taught me to slow down, not because I had to, but because I finally wanted to.

🧡 A Different Kind of Love

I love my kids with everything in me. That’s a kind of fierce, protective, all-consuming love.

But grandbabies? That’s something else entirely.
It’s gentler.
It’s freer.
It’s a love without pressure or panic. A love that feels like a second chance to just be present, playful, and wide open.

Avery calls me Nana, but honestly, he could call me anything. He could call me “purple spaghetti” and I’d still melt. He’s everything. He’s my bestie. My sunshine. My daily reminder that life’s most precious moments don’t come from doing, they come from being.

📝 Final Thoughts

Becoming Nana has been the greatest gift of my life. It’s softened me. Slowed me. Reminded me of what truly matters.

I’m not just watching him grow.
I’m growing, too.

Right here, five roads over.
Right here in midlife.
Right here, becoming.

✨ Reader Reflection

Have you become a grandparent in midlife? What did it change in you? Share your story in the comments or send it to the Nana in your life who helped you slow down and see the world with new eyes.

 With Love

Brandy