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Along Life’s Way
Great Times
with the Grandchildren
By Lois E. Wilson
We were blessed with five grandchildren and have had wonderful times
with all of them as they grew up. One son has two daughters. The oldest
we watched take her first solo steps. She was lured across the floor
with a few seedless grapes. Once I took care of the girls at their home
while their parents went on a business trip. I was told by their mother
that I was to have the younger one potty trained by the time they
returned. She suggested I try M & M’s to accomplish the feat. I
discovered that my granddaughter had not performed on cue before;
however, within a day or two the M & M solution worked. These were
“sweet” moments of success.
Since we only had sons, my skill with girls’ hair styles was lacking.
They patiently sat through the pony tail process as grandma learned.
When they visited, we had fun making craft projects such as decorative
boxes and Christmas items. They were willing helpers when it was time
for me to plant annuals in the flower beds. They called them
“baby plants” and tucked them snugly into the ground before watering.
Our younger son has one daughter and two sons. While he was in the Air
Force, for a few years he and his family lived in Japan. When they
returned to the states, we decided to have the five grandchildren all
come at the same time to stay for a visit. Then we could interact and
get to know each other. We bought extra inflatable mattresses and
rented a van for travel times. We played croquet and shot baskets
trying to expend some of the grandchildren’s energy.
The big excursion during their visit was to (COSI) the Center of
Science and Industry. On the way to Columbus, my one grandson and I had
a discussion about planets. He went into hysterical laughter when I
pronounced “Uranus” the way I had been taught. He promptly advised me
that the accent should be on the first syllable not the middle one.
On the way back to Greenville, we were tired after a busy day exploring
the COSI exhibits. I heard my oldest granddaughter give out a loud yawn
from the back seat. I asked her, “Is that a yawn I hear?” Not wanting
to admit her weariness, she replied, “No, Grandma, it was a heavy
breathe!” That night we all drifted off to sleep without problems.
One time when the girls were visiting, I said, “I don’t fit into this
girls’ club. Your first names all end in the letter A. Mine ends with
the letter S.” My granddaughter replied, “You do fit because ‘grandma’
ends in A too!” We members of the club all hugged.
We have a new generation to watch grow up and accomplish goals. As of
now, there are 13 great grandchildren. All I can say is I hope their
parents have plenty of grapes and M & M’s.
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