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Let's Laugh: About grandparenting
By: Caroline Reid, Contributing Columnist
Topics: grandchildren,
stories,
grandparents
Posted by caroline
Tue May 22, 2007 17:40:26 PDT
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One of the nicest things about living in the same town as your grandchildren is you can see them almost as often as you want. It is such fun to watch them learn and grow and be excited about school and life in general! I meet my grandson once a week after school and bring him to my house. I really cherish this time because I have a feeling in a few years he’ll have so many after school activities that I’ll have to make an appointment with him!
When he was three he didn’t talk much. I suggested to my daughter that maybe a visit to a speech therapist was in order. I honestly wondered if he would ever talk.
“Mom,” she said, in an all-knowing, I know more about motherhood voice than you do, “He’ll be fine. He’s a boy. Boys don’t talk as early as girls.”
Hmmm? I raised a boy. He talked early and often.
There comes a time in life when mothers are not in charge anymore especially of their grandchildren, their mothers are in charge! This would be your daughter or daughter-in-law! Besides that, you don’t even want to be in charge. If you’ve “been there and done that” you know what I mean.
So, I waited for him to talk. Three months after his third birthday he started in and hasn’t stopped since. When I pick him up after school all it takes is two questions. “How was your day today?" and "What was the best part?”
“Grammy, I had the best day today it was really good the teacher told me I was smart and she asked me to read to the class and I did and one of the girls made a funny face but I read anyhow because I like to read and besides that it was a funny story and I like funny stories and I like my teacher and she likes me and besides that if we read a lot we get rewards and sometimes we even get cookies before recess if someone’s mom brings some and today someone’s mom did so we had cookies after reading and then we went out and played.”
For some strange reason, I always hold my breath the entire time he tells these stories! By the time he finished this one there was a real possibility that I would pass out at the wheel! He stopped in the nick of time.
When we got to my house, we had a snack and that brought on another story!
“Grammy, I like coming to your house because it is quiet and my sister doesn’t bug me but even when she does it’s OK because it gets me in practice for the kids at school who bug me and when they bug me I say the same thing to them that I say to my sister and then they stomp off like she does and go bug someone else so it’s a good thing she bugs me all the time because then I know how to act when those things happen at school and Grammy, I like coming to your house because you make me waffles and I really, really like waffles!”
OK, Okay!
They are frozen waffles, but he doesn’t know what homemade waffles are anyhow, As far as he knows, waffles always come out of a box in the freezer! I’m sure he has no clue what a waffle iron is. Does anyone?