Friday, July 22, 2011

Two Grandmothers

The grandmother I want to be doesn't get all hung up about nutrition, feeding the kids whatever they want. The grandmother I am makes deals--one piece of candy, and only after you eat some real food. The grandmother I want to be plays Candyland and Mousetrap and Hungry, Hungry Hippos for hours. The grandmother I am talks the kids into watching Despicable Me instead. The grandmother I want to be is laid-back about bed-time. The grandmother I am threatens to call your parents if you kids do not settle down right now. The grandmother I want to be is even-handed, lavishing on each of her grandchildren the same amount of attention. The grandmother I am connects more tightly with the child who needs it the most. The grandmother I want to be is always up for an impromptu overnight. The grandmother I am needs time to mentally prepare. The grandmother I want to be has a lovely wooden toy box full of carefully selected educational toys. The grandmother I am has a Rubbermaid tub filled with cast off junk and things she found at the thrift store. The grandmother I want to be has grandkids who squeal with joy when she walks in the door. The grandmother I am lucked out: she got that, too.

8 comments:

  1. Ohhhh.

    I want that last one the most!!

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  2. I'm with you on all of these, most especially on the mentally preparing for overnights.
    You are a good and lucky grandmother.

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  3. Balance and negotiating skills are in both of them...blend them, take turns playing games, alternate movie time with games and such, it worked for me and you see how my son turned out :)

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  4. Both grandmas should hie themselves along to the nearest appliance store and ask for an old refrigerator box! Happy children, happy grandmother.

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  5. Your last line took the thought straight out of my mind - not expressed as elegantly as in your poem, but I thought all along that the two were one and the same. Which doesn't alter the fact that it is a splendid poem, cleverly conceived and beautifully realised. Congratulations.

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  6. I wish I could share this with my mother but she would take it as an indication she was doing something wrong.

    Wonderful post!

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  7. P.S. You sound like a fabulous grandmother.

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  8. You are really lucky to be a grandmother.

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