It is so great when grandmothers share their ideas. I appreciate all of their wonderful ideas! Kay, from Jacksonville, Florida, has shared with me one thing that she does with her grandchildren. Kay writes:

“I do love being a grandmother. You get to have all the joys of a child without the day to day work involved. Plus you know just how fleeting the magic years are and appreciate them all the more.

“I pick up the two grandchildren that are in elementary school every Monday and we go for ice cream. We talk about everything important in their lives.”

There are three key points here. First, she provides stability in her grandchildren’s lives. They know that every Monday after school, their grandmother will be there waiting for them. This is a basic routine that they can count on and look forward to. (Of course, Grandma might get sick occasionally, but that is different from saying you’ll be there and then not showing up.)

The second thing is ICE CREAM!! It’s a rare child who doesn’t like ice cream. Grandmothers always seem to be connected to comfort foods. Going out for an ice cream cone is a relatively inexpensive treat to give your grandchildren. And, just think of all of the dairy products that you provide them ! Of course, it’s best to check with their mother first to make sure that she is comfortable with you giving them ice cream.

The third thing is that Kay talks about everything important in their life. Not hers. Not her best friend nor their parents’ lives. Kay talks about what is going on and happening in her grandchildren’s lives. This makes them feel special and important. They understand that grandma cares about them and what they are thinking, feeling, doing, experiencing. I’m sure that it isn’t done in a Gestapo kind of way. More of a I-care-about-you way.

Isn’t it amazing how such a simple thing as picking up grandkids every Monday and taking them for ice cream can be such a bonding experience! Maybe it’s also that realization of just how fleeing those magic years are . . . .

Happy grandparenting!
The Digi-Gram

I have a friend, Denise, in Payson, Utah, who has a grandma camp for her grandchildren. Since she has done such fun things, I’ve asked her to write a little bit about what she does. She graciously accepted. Denise writes:

“About a decade and a half ago, I became a GRANDMA! At that time, we had a wonderful neighbor who had grandchildren from all over the world. Once a year, she would have them all come at the same time for a full week to stay with her. She called it Grandma Camp. This was done on a large scale. She hired a nanny and a lifeguard for the week. She also had a 10 passenger van and unlimited resources!

“Although I envied the whole idea, I knew that I could not afford such an endeavor nor could I take the time from work to do such an event. I did like the fact that she could have such a wonderful and fun time with all the grandchildren at once.

“I had been thinking a lot about what I wanted to create. I was very careful to set a low starting point and let grandma camp stay manageable. Remember you have to finish what you start and what you do for one, you do for all. Since I still have (hopefully) more grandchildren to come, I am careful not to get too elaborate.

“What is Grandma Camp? It is an event that your grandchildren look forward to each year. It is a memory that you create from scratch! It is low cost, educational, and fun!”

Here are three pictures from Denise’s grandma camps. This is the camp with an Olympics theme.

This is with the Mission Impossible theme. The grandchildren are in their secret agent disguise . . .

Here is the pirate theme.

Denise holds her grandma camp for two days and one night. Grandchildren have to be potty trained. Grandpa is there, too, to help out with the activities and enjoy the grandchildren. All activities match the theme for the year. And, their parents (Denise’s children) are invited to a barbecue at the end when they come to pick up the grandchildren.

If any of you hold a grandma camp for your grandchildren, please post a comment here to share what you do! I would love to hear your ideas.

Digi-Gram

I recently finished reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. What a fabulous book! I think this book has moved to the top of the list of my favorites. I highly recommend it. I give it two thumbs up!

This is a fictional story of a nine-year old Liesel who is sent to live with a foster family in Molching, Germany. She has stolen her first book, The Gravediggers Handbook, even though she cannot read. (What a delightful topic for a nine-year old . . .)

Her foster mother has an acid tongue. Her foster father is gentle and loving. Liesel is feisty and plagued with nightmares about her little brother’s death. Liesel makes friends with Rudy. She steals books from the mayor’s wife. Her family befriends Max, a Jewish refugee. All this while World War II rages on and slowly marches toward Molching. All these elements are cleverly intertwined to create a compelling story. (I don’t want to give more details because I don’t want to spoil the story for you!)

Zusak, a thirty-something author, is an excellent writer. Sometimes his descriptions are so unique, beautiful, and profound that you just have to stop and savor them, letting their juices drip into your senses like butter dripping onto your chin while eating corn on the cob.

The book was published as an adult novel in Australia (where Zusak hails from). However, the publishing company, Knopf, is promoting it as a young adult novel here in the United States. Now, the young adult reader age bracket is from 12 to 18. Somehow, I don’t think a twelve-year old will appreciate, understand, or enjoy this book as well as a more ‘mature’ young adult reader might. And, even though this is in the young adult section in the book store, adults will enjoy it, too.

Zusak has also written I Am the Messenger. I’ve read mixed reviews about it. However, I do believe I will read it. He wrote Messenger before The Book Thief so Zusak’s writing might not be as ‘mature’ as it is in The Book Thief. Still, I anticipate it will be an enjoyable read.

If you have an older teen-aged grandchild, you might want to give this as a gift. It is great reading and would be fodder for some great conversation between grandma and grandchild!

Hope you read it!
Digi-Gram

One of my friends shared her thoughts about being a grandmother. This friend has seen many struggles in her life. And yet, she is the most positive, upbeat person I think that I have ever met. She has not turned bitter. She never complains. She always says that she is extremely blessed. What a great example to me!! Here is what Jeanne wrote:”I am not the best grandmother, but I try. I am very regular and plan it into my life to have Natalie’s family in my life. I go up every other weekend and babysit my grandchildren, and I babysit my daughter and her husband want to go away for a few days. This is easy for me, because I am single.

I also play games with my grandchildren and like to read to them. You will want to pick things to do that fit your lifestyle.

“Janelle and her husband are more spontaneous so it is hard to plan anything with them. Consequently, I don’t babysit much for them and really do not interact very much with them. I have to go to their home in the evenings if I wish to hang out. I think the main thing is to consistently be around the grandchildren so they know who you are. It seems that Janelle and Jared want their daughter to have a relationship with me. . . but we are still working on consistency.”

What nuggets of truth! Consistency. You can’t be a part of a grandchild’s life one minute and then not for the next 7.321 months! Especially for young grandchildren who might be frightened of people they don’t see very often or don’t know very well.

The second truth (and I’ve mentioned this before) is that YOUR children play an essential part in the process of building a strong relationship with your grandchildren. As your children understand your desire to be a part of your grandchild’s life, they will more readily do their part in making this possible. They are the connecting link between generations and their support is vital.

As a side note, I find it interesting that these wonderful people who have shared their ideas with me feel like they are not ‘good’ grandmothers. So far, I know most of them personally and know that they are great people. I’m sure if I spoke to their grandchildren, these grandchildren would claim that they had the best grandmother ever! If you love your grandchildren, they will feel it, and know it, and love you back unconditionally!

Happy grandparenting!
Digi-Gram