The FastDay Forum

Being a grandparent is the greatest show on earth!

Yes, what a privilege being a Grandpa and Granny ! I never cease to be amazed at how much I enjoy being with them - so different from being a parent , which you're so wrapped up in at the time that you don't really appreciate ( or should I say , you don't really remember !) . . . . .

When we have our two grandchildren for the weekend ( boy and girl aged 7 and 9 ) , we pick them up after school on a Friday. Our "special tea" when we arrive at Grandpa & Granny's is always Pizza and Oven Chips - their only encounter with Junk Food !!!! ; their Mum cooks everything' from scratch , as do I , but after a 2-hour journey , it's nice to pop it in the oven and spend the rest of the evening playing dominoes , snakes and ladders , Ludo . . . .

On the Saturday Granny takes them to the local cinema : we've seen Frozen , Reckit Ralph and The Lego Movie recently ( as well as Epic in 3D - a new experience for Granny , who thought she looked quite cool in the specs!! ) . Afterwards we make chicken goujons for tea ( we have a production line going !) as well as shortbread and fruit loaf to take home - lots of stirring , mixing , licking of spoons and bowls afterwards - the best bit , of course ! Takes me back to my childhood .

Depending on weather , Sunday means a long walk / cycle , though of late that's been a no-no because of the appalling weather . Plan B is drawing , painting , reading stories ( we take turns!) . Grandpa loves this ! ( He's also brilliant at tidying up . . . . )

Must admit , it gets easier as they get older ! Gone are the days when we'd get up in the middle of the night to check a "sniffly' baby was still breathing ; now we read the bedtime story after teethbrushing and toilet, ( at which point Granny and Grandpa relax and enjoy a nice glass of wine ) and that's the last we see of them till morning .

We take them home again late-afternoon Sunday . . . . . Mum and Dad have had a bit of breathing-space and some together time , Granny and Grandpa have had great fun , and the grandchildren have enjoyed being spoiled .

Happy Days !!

Goldilox.

PS. . . . some quotes from the Grandchildren . . . .

1) granddaughter , aged 4 at the time , demanding a chocolate biscuit just before tea , and Granny refusing ,
" Actually , Granny , Mummy allows me chocolate biscuits ANY TIME I LIKE !" ( not true! )

2) grandson , aged 4 , slowing down on a long walk with Granny and Grandpa , and mindful of his Daddy's promise to try out his new bike the following day : " I'm NOT going too slow , Grandpa , I'm saving all my energy for cycling on my new bike tomorrow !" ( a likely story!!!)

3). Granddaughter , being told to tidy away all her toys before we went out for a walk : " I love Mummy and Daddy and my baby brother , and both the dogs , and the cats , and Grandpa , and the hens , and all the horses , but THEY don't boss me like you do , Granny !" ( to which the answer was , that's fine , but let's tidy up anyway ). - and we did !!!

Lots more of course , but being a Granny , I've forgotten them . . .

Youngest grandson knows that if his dinner is too hot he can blow on it to cool it down so I suppose it was quite logical for him the other day when I warned him not to touch the radiator as it was 'hot' he tried the same tactic and tried blowing hard on it!

So nice to read these stories,very different from my experiences with my own grandma ( Nanny)
A very un indulgent Nanny,we were just her wee slaves
To be fair,she was an elderly gran in a lot of pain with rheumatism when we came along...
She had already done it once,with her older daughter's daughters..my Dad married late so Nanny had lost any patience she used to have with children by the time we came along and relied on us to shop,wash her feet,clean her brass,scrub her steps etc!
Maiden aunt and bachelor uncle still lived at home with her and, lucky for us,gave us the affection and indulgent attention that Nanny lacked!

Grandson today (he's two and a half),
'Are we going to my house?'
Me: 'No, I haven't got a car today.'
'But you've got a caravan....'
Me: 'It won't move without the car.'
'Is it stuck?'

And on making biscuits:

'Sieve the flour, nainie.' (watch our Junior Masterchef!)

GREAT TRUTHS THAT LITTLE CHILDREN HAVE LEARNED:

1) No matter how hard you try, you can't baptise cats..
2) When your Mum is mad at your Dad, don't let her brush your hair.
3) If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
4) Never ask your 3-year old brother to hold a tomato.
5) You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
6) Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair..
7) Never hold a Dust-Buster and a cat at the same time.
8) You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.
9) Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts.
10) The best place to be when you're sad is Nanna's lap..

I have 5 grandchildren: ages 27, 19 (2 of them!), 14 and 12. But just now, let me tell you about my grandmother who lived with us all through my childhood. Also not traditional @CandiceMarie, although in a somewhat different way. She worked in the high school cafeteria--my sisters and I were so proud to see our Nanny there every day. She went out to bingo games, card parties, and dances several nights a week, with my father patiently driving her there (she always got a ride home from friends). For many years she had boyfriends who squired her around. She had a great deal of energy--bustling off early in the mornings, walking the half-mile or so to work.

She used to let us look through her dresser drawers, and when we came upon a large box of pennies, she would say, "I'm saving up for my divorce"--She was separated from Pappy, who was a ne'r do well she was well rid of. I was out of town when Pappy died years later, but the story told by my sisters is that she wore a red dress and a big smile at his funeral.

@marybeth your Grammy sounds adorable! X

Oops - a doop! X