Boston Moms Blog is all about the moms, with the occasional time out to say, “Way to go, Dad!” But today is a special day. Today is the day we salute you — the grandparents.

Happy Grandparents Day!

Bubby, Zaida, Saba, Savta, Grandma, Grandpa… today is the day we thank you for all you do!

We may not say it often enough, but you mean so much to us. You are the only ones who think our child is as smart, beautiful, and talented as we do. We can talk to you for hours about anything related to your grandchild, no matter how trivial, and you will think it’s the most amazing thing. You have more pictures of our children than we do!

We can always count on you to bring humor and perspective to things that bring us to tears. We complain to you about how the infant isn’t sleeping, and you will sympathize for a moment then tell us, “Payback is a b#$%@.” We worry about if the house is babyproofed enough, and you remind us that we survived. And we feel extra smart when you give us a piece of bad advice, like “sleep the baby on his stomach,” and we can go on for 10 minutes about how times have changed and he should sleep on his back now.

You provide respite. For some, you are our regular childcare; for others, you provide sick-day coverage. Some of us get occasional date nights thanks to you. Even if it’s a half-hour break during a Thanksgiving visit, we love the break! We may forget to say it while we are going over our 10-page list of “dos and don’ts,” but we really do appreciate it. Thank you! And don’t worry, if you didn’t read “Goodnight Moon” exactly the way we asked you to, I think the baby will end up fairly unaffected by it.

You are another adult our children can trust. You are attentive to their needs, you love them unconditionally, and you let them know they are valued. Whether it’s a daily visit, a special ballgame once in a while, or a weekly Skype chat, the way our children light up when they see you cannot be fully described in words. And you’re someone we can trust. As new parents, let’s face it — we have no idea what we are doing! We let some of our friends know this, but for the most part we put on a brave, savvy face. With you, though, we know we can be our true selves, because we’re your babies taking care of your grandbabies.

We hope your children and grandchildren will celebrate you today, as we hope they do every day. We are amazed that you had kids, raised them well, and lived to tell about it. And you did it in an era with no cell phone cameras, no blogs, no WebMD, and no car seats.

Happy Grandparents Day!

Lindsay Goldberg
Lindsay Goldberg is a working mom who then comes home and works there, too. She loves finding quick, healthy recipes to make for her family and lives for her Sunday morning escape to the gym. She has given up on trying to find balance, and is, instead focused on surviving and being Good Enough. Likes- books, family dance parties, morning snuggles, and drinking coffee when it's still hot. Dislikes- recipes with more than 10 ingredients or 10 steps, winter, and deadlines