A grandmother or grandfather, is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and a little bit best friend – Unknown
Grandparents.
We all have them, but our particular experiences, regarding knowing them personally, is each one uniquely different. For some of us, our experience is limited to simply knowing who they are, and their names.
For others, whose relationship with grandparents has been more familiar, the experience is the gift of having life enriched as a result of knowing them. And in our culture today, there is a significant increase in the number of children, who are growing up knowing their grandparents as their primary caregiver, and one who is willing to stand in the gap for their grandchildren, and for their sakes.
As a young child, I had the privilege of knowing both sets of my grandparents – a gift for which I have always been thankful. This gift, however, did come with a price tag – the divorce of my parents. Thankfully, my grandparents lived close enough to help with childcare after the divorce.
Staying with my maternal grandmother during the day when I was three and four, I got to know her in a way that I would not otherwise have had the chance. The nurturing I received from her has been a gift, benefitted me for my whole life. Her willingness and matter-of-fact way of being with me, whether we were making bread, doing the laundry, taking long walks together or just sitting and talking, not only gave me the sense that I mattered to her, but also a strong sense of myself, for which I am forever thankful. And in the photo accompanying this article, she is the little girl standing in the front, holding a flower.
In May of 2017, Today Parenting Team online magazine honorably described both the developmental and generational role of Granparents as:
- Someone who offers unconditional love
- A mentor who can help with problems
- A companion and someone to talk to
- Someone who will stand beside us
- A window into a parent’s childhood
- Someone with a sense of adventure
- Kind, humorous and patient
- Having a zest for life
- Keeping family traditions
- Giving us the ability to laugh at oneself
- Helping us learn life lessons
Sunday, Sept. 9 is officially recognized as Grandparent's Day. In honor of the day and grandparents, I have written two poems, which I hope you will enjoy. The first poem was written in honor of my maternal grandmother, who passed away in 1990. And the second poem is in honor of my own grandchildren – those precious little ones who made me and my husband…...very happy grandparents.
For Grandma
~Paulette Jackson
Up the street on Sweeney Lane
lived Mary Schirpik
Grandma was her name
Six children, a husband
grandkids
quite a sum
Yet no one ever felt it
Each thought they were the only one
“Y'all come in
Gather round
Take a seat
By the way supper’s ready
Come on
Let’s eat"
She held the hand of childhood
with life’s unwanted darts
She stood on the bridge of mercy
holding the family heart
For eighty-six years
she was loved
in words
so much more
And I heard there was a grand
homecoming
When she opened heaven’s door
~~~~
Joy
When I First Saw You ...
To my grandchildren
~Paulette Jackson
After waiting for months
for you to arrive
Finally you came along
More than a birth
you were summer's song
the sweetest melody
of a familiar tune
a favorite one
Like the one I find myself dancing to
while I hum
And that's what it felt like
when I first saw you
Wishing every grandparent a day of joy.
Paulette Jackson