I was reminded recently of how much fun it is to simply watch the little ones experience life.

We had taken our seven and five year old grandchildren to see the play Annie. They had seen the movie and had mixed feelings about going to the play. However, once the play started, they were captivated, and it was more fun watching them than watching the play.

The seven-year old was mesmerized, and you could see his emotions play out as the play progressed. The five-year old was seeing it differently. She was intensely focused and seemed to be trying to figure it all out. Her questions at intermission confirmed that, as she asked, in her own way, what was real and what was pretend.

The evening reminded me of two previously evenings.

About 30 years ago we took our daughter, the mother of these grandchildren, to see Annie when she was about the same age. At one point in the play Sandy, the dog, became separated from Annie, the orphan. As Sandy was wandering alone on the stage, our daughter started crying so loudly that we had to take her out of the theater. With some help from her mother, she was able to return after the intermission for the remainder of the play. We all remember that night vividly.

Then about 20+ years ago, there was another evening I will never forget. Our younger daughter was with her dance group in Moscow, and my father and I were traveling with the group also. One evening we were at the ballet, and my daughter and her friend were entranced by the dancers in Giselle. But what was even more memorable was watching my father watch his granddaughter. There were tears streaming down his face. And soon down my face too (son watching father watching his granddaughter, my daughter, watch the ballet).

Now I have the wonderful pleasure of watching that same granddaughter (my daughter) with her new born, talking softly and soothingly to her child of one month. And once again, let me extol the virtues of watching one’s child become a parent. That’s even better than watching the new grandchild enter the world, which is pretty terrific too.

Plus, yesterday, I also had the pleasure of watching both the seven-year and five-year old hold the one-month old while my wife, grandmother to both, looked on delighted.

And then lunch with the almost three year old:

So many good memories from the past and ones being made today.