Thank You, Robin

Here’s to One Great Mother-in-Law

Raise your hand if you have a few complaints about your in-laws. While I can’t see you, I can bet a fair number of hands went up. I often hear people complaining about their in-laws. Mothers-in-law especially seem to be a common topic of complaint or the punchline to a joke in old sitcoms. I must be pretty lucky because my mother-in-law is kind of awesome.

This month, I want to shout out Robin Beck, or “Grandma” to my kids. She’s a great person who has been a major help to me and my business.

As longtime readers may know, my wife is a school teacher, so she has to leave the house earlier than I do during the school year. This means it’s my job to take the kids to school every morning. I enjoy this responsibility and the time it gives me to spend with my kids, but things get challenging on Thursdays. For the last eight years, I have been a member of a BNI networking group. Members of this group are required to attend a weekly meeting held every Thursday at 7:15 a.m. This is where Robin comes in. She is willing to come to our house early and take the kids to school.

In eight years, there have only been a handful of times when Robin wasn’t able to drive the kids to school on Thursday morning. I cannot overstate how much of a huge help this is. If she didn’t take the kids to school, I couldn’t be in the networking group. When I say Robin is a big help to my business, I’m not exaggerating. The networking group accounts for 10–15% of the business I do. It is really great to get this kind of support from your family.

Beyond the help she gives my business, Robin has always been willing to help the family. She’s ready to watch the kids on a moment’s notice if need be. Back when our oldest son was born and we realized he was severely allergic to our dogs, my in-laws were happy to take them. Hank the pug and Bob the French bulldog enjoyed peaceful, cheerful lives at their place.

The kids love spending time with their grandma. My daughter especially enjoys doing crafts with her, and all the kids like to break out the board games and play with “Big G,” as they call her. For the record, the kids only call their grandma Big G when playing board games. I don’t know where this nickname came from and at this point, it’s not going away.

Robin is also the kind of person who makes an impact in our community. She’s retired now is and heavily involved with our church as secretary of the board. If you are fortunate enough to know her, then you know you have a friend who’ll always have your back.

Robin, I know you’re reading this. I want you to know I’m grateful to have you as my mother-in-law and that you make an awesome grandma. Thanks for everything you do for our family.