"Nothing but net"

I'm Grandma this weekend. We got to Greensboro, NC, where my grandchildren live (incidentally with their parents, Paul and Kaylene). We were told to be here by 10 AM which meant leaving home by 6:15 AM. And of course we were here by 9:55!! It was value added hugging time as Brummett was still here to be held. After lunch, he left with his Mommy and Meemaw for the women's retreat Kaylene was speaking at this weekend. Six months, and he is itching to be on the floor and to run and be like his big brother.
And that left us with .... ABRAM!! He is an OUTSTANDING two and a third year old. All the angst his parents had when he was 18 months and not as verbal as the doctor wanted is gone in a profusion of dinosaur names, counting to three, and repeating EVERYTHING that is said to him. I told him he was obstreperous. "Obstreperous," he repeated. I dropped the knife - "Oh, Rats!!" "Oh, Rats!" came the reply. Every once in a while his parents are caught up short by a phrase he is using only to realize they know exactly where he learned it!
The mental wheels in that little mind are always turning. "Read another story!" when it's time to put off bedtime. "I don't want to wear that!" which always brings chuckles in me because he sounds just like his Daddy used to sound. The body stiffening to prevent putting him in the high chair, the gripping of a treasured forbidden items, and the "No, I don't like that!" all bespeak the strong will he got from his Dad and Grandpa. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.
I was having a lot of fun with him, and I aimed a piece of paper at the trash can. "Nothing but net!", I exclaimed and then I realized. I'm the grandma. And that's what grandmas are... Nothing but net. Over and over I have prayed with other women who were concerned about their grandsons. I have listened to how they show their love and support for the grandchildren. Nothing but net. No matter what their grandchildren do or how they get in trouble, grandma is always there for them. Nothing but net. Toddlers fall down, and grandparents pick them up. Nothing but net. Parents need extra help or kids need some time away... where do they go? To the net. Parents have to be the tough guys. Parents have to set the limits and grandparents should follow them, but when push comes to shove, it's 'nothing but net'.
I'm so happy to be ... Nothing but net!
I'm so glad to be.... Nothing but net!