During the past year, many of us have become new grandparents or added to our assembly of grandchildren. In our community of mobile families on the Kitsap Peninsula, local children don’t always get to know their grandparents as well as we would like. But it’s my hope that parents and grandparents can try to foster that special relationship in the new year.
I think it’s great when an older friend of the family steps up to play the role of grandparent, helping a young family in various ways. We also have new technology that can connect grandparents to their grandchildren through video conferences.
Children can be a source of joy and amusement for parents and grandparents alike, and sharing our stories can be part of the amusement.
To connect these thoughts to today’s “Amusing Monday” feature, I’d like to reprieve some stories that first appeared in this blog in November of 2008. As I did then, I’m following those stories with some definitions of love from young children. Both lists were found on the Internet, but I was unable to identify the original sources.
When you’re done reading about grandchildren and love, you may enjoy some more of these kinds of amusing tidbits from previous “Amusing Mondays”:
The odd things that people say, Sept. 20, 2010
Science eludes young students, April 23, 2012
The amusement of grandchildren
My grandson called the other day to wish me a Happy Birthday. He
asked me how old I was, and I told him, “62.” He was quiet for a
moment, and then he asked, “Did you start at 1?”
After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into
old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As
she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her
patience grew thin. At last she threw a towel around her head and
stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern
warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say
with a trembling voice, “Who was THAT?”
A grandmother was telling her granddaughter what her own
childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a
swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We
rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.” The little
girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, “I sure wish
I’d gotten to know you sooner!”
A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather’s
word processor. She told him she was writing a story. “What’s it
about?” he asked. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I can’t read.”
I didn’t know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I
decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color
it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was
fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying
sagely, “Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of
these yourself!”
Our five-year-old grandson couldn’t wait to tell his grandfather
about the movie we had watched on television: “20,000 Leagues Under
the Sea.” The scenes with the submarine and the giant octopus had
kept him wide-eyed. In the middle of the telling, my husband
interrupted. “Mark, what caused the submarine to sink?” With a look
of incredulity, Mark replied, “Grandpa, it was the 20,000
leaks!”
When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept
the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky
insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them
before I did, Billy whispered, “It’s no use, Grandpa. The
mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.”
Definitions of love
“A group of professional people posed this question to a
group of 4 to 8 year olds, “What does love mean?” The answers they
got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See
what you think:”
“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and
paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all
the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.”
Rebecca – age 8
“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.”
Billy – age 4
“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving
cologne and they go out and smell each other.”
Karl – age 5
“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your
French fries without making them give you any of theirs.”
Chrissy – age 6
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
Terri – age 4
“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a
sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.”
Danny – age 7
“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of
kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy
and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.”
Emily – age 8
“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop
opening presents and listen.”
Bobby – age 7
“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a
friend who you hate.”
Nikka – age 6
“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
everyday.”
Noelle – age 7
“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well.”
Tommy – age 6
“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I
looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and
smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared
anymore.”
Cindy – age 8
“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else
kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clare – age 6
“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine – age 5
“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he
is handsomer than Robert Redford.”
Chris – age 7
“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him
alone all day.”
Mary Ann – age 4
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.”
Lauren – age 4
“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little
stars come out of you.”
Karen – age 7
“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn’t think
it’s gross.”
Mark – age 6
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if
you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica – age 8
