SuperGramma

These days, while watching my two grandchildren during the day, I am learning a lot of lessons from them.

I’m learning persistence from four-year-old grandson. Each day he tries to throw his hat on our coat rack. Since he is aiming for the highest hook, that’s not an easy task. Sometimes it takes him fifteen minutes or more before he can do it. But he refuses to give up. Landing on the middle hook isn’t good enough either. He tries until he accomplishes what he’s after. I would do well to model that behaviour.

Grandbaby is teaching me the value of practice. She will climb up and down her highchair until she has mastered the climb. Once that’s mastered, she’ll add other skills, such as standing up when she reaches the top. The word ‘fear’ isn’t in her vocabulary, nor is ‘impossible’. Regardless of the task, she practices until it becomes easy for her.

Now excuse me while I go and practice my cooking. I am being persistent because at my age you would think I didn’t need any more practice. Unfortunately, I do.

I was going through some old files of mine and came across a little poem I wrote in 1995 – And yes, I have three boys who are two years apart. The format is actually four lines per stanza, but for the sake of space, I’ve made it into two. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to pass it on as long as the copyright information is with it.

Long ago and far away, In a land I’ve never been,
There lived a great, big, family. The worst I’ve ever seen.

They never could be quiet, They never could be sweet.
Their house was always messy. It wasn’t ever neat.

The boys were always fighting. They’d wrestle and they’d punch.
Their mom was always yelling. I’d hate to go for lunch.

At breakfast it was chaos. At lunch and bedtime too.
Their mother was beside herself. She didn’t know what to do.

No matter how mom threatened, No matter how mom cried.
They would not stop their foolishness, No matter what mom tried.

They seemed to like to argue, They seemed to like to fight;
No matter how she pleaded And said it was not right!

Those boys were in one family. Their mom and dad the same.
To see them always fighting Was really quite a shame.

“To bed” their mom would tell them. “I’ve had enough today.
Or read or play piano, Or go outside and stay!”

“That’s boring” they would answer. “There’s nothing here to do.
What will we have for supper? It better not be stew!”

“But stew is very yummy” Their mom said with a grin.
“There’s lots of good old gravy To dip your bread right in.”

“I can’t cook all the things you like With all this noise around,
But I could make a restaurant meal If you wouldn’t make a sound.”

Those boys were really hungry. They didn’t want the stew.
By the way their mother acted, There was just one thing to do.

Tom went over to his brother, And he whispered in his ear,
“Hey Bob, I know what we can do, So lets get out of here.”

Now the house is very quiet; The brothers get along.
You want to know their secret? They turned the TV on!

© Carol Bremner

Now that I’m back to watching little people at my house, I have to think about things like childproofing. Here I thought my home was pretty safe. Silly me. Grandbaby girl can spot a crumb on the floor at a hundred yards away. She delights in trying to open all the cupboards and has radar built in that tells her if Gramma forgot to put the gate across the stairs.

Department stores sell all kinds of gadgets to keep children out of places they don’t belong, but soon the house is so locked up you can barely function. Plus there is always some new drive-gramma-crazy adventure brewing in those little minds. One of my other grandsons, age 2, decided to be a mountain climber in his kitchen. The mountain was a big white stove and its door was a convenient ladder. Once on top, he claimed victory by turning a knob. Fortunately it was the oven knob and not a burner. His mom was right behind him and the climb was short lived. I’m glad I wasn’t there to see the action.

I remember one lady I knew had to padlock her frig. And when my youngest daughter was growing up, everything went into her mouth – lego, soap, sometimes even food. So here I am again trying to stay one step ahead of an accident. The latest attraction is my plants. I only have  two, but they may soon spend their days in a locked room rather than their spots by the window. I wonder if that’s the reason artificial plants were invented?

Technorati Tags: childproofing, home hazards

If you feel like travelling these days, I’ve found a few websites full of ideas. I’m thinking about warm places I would rather be, especially when it’s so cold here I can barely stand the walk from my car to the store.

For those of you who don’t mind the cold, there are a mix of places to visit, depending on your interests, time, and finances. Most of these are family friendly if you’re able to spend time with the grandkids. Let me know if any of these sites was extra helpful to you. Have fun on your travels and stay safe.

Family Vacations

Dude Ranches

Train Travel

Vacations Especially for Grandparents and Their Grandchildren

There are a lot more, but those are enough to get you started. Right now I’m debating between dude ranches and that last website. Now how many kids can I handle taking and how many days could I handle?

Technorati Tags: travel ideas, travel with grandchildren

When my husband was a boy, he often heard the words “be careful”. I’m afraid I was the same way with my boys. But my daughter encourages my grandson to try new things and doesn’t hinder him with her fearful thoughts. As a result, he is very outgoing and comfortable in new situations – many of which could be intimidating.

Case in point – we all went to visit the Canadian National Exhibition recently. One of the activities was a pizza making workshop. There were about thirty kids involved, as well as parents and grandparents taking pictures of them. Grandson held up his hand to answer questions and participated with the others, even though at four years old, he was one of the youngest involved.

I was really impressed with his self-confidence and ability to interact with everyone.  He is one child who won’t have any trouble starting kindergarten this month. Now if I can just remember to encourage his pursuits, rather than instilling a fear of the unknown. How about your grandkids?  How do you help with their self esteem?

Technorati Tags: children and self confidence, confident grandkids