Episode 42 - Between Day Care and the Nursing Home

I love being Nana. DH (Papa) and I greatly enjoy our two grandchildren, three year old Lil A and two year old Belle. We don’t get to see as much of Lil A as we’d like, because he and his parents live in Kentucky… but Belle visits us regularly. She makes herself at home and knows exactly where the toys are. She delights in getting everything out and we delight in letting her. As parenting taught us both – they are little for such a short time… we intend to enjoy them as much as possible. We call their time with us, "NaPa Camp".  Grandma adores both the great-grands. She has a bit of a communication gap with Belle but they generally get their points across to the other.

Last week, Lil A and his Daddy spent some time in Iowa and we enjoyed having them with us for four days. Daddy had work to do while here, which took him away from the house a few hours a day, so Nana and Papa had some great quality time with our grandson. Lil A brought along with him, a plethora of toy figures (he refers to as his “guys”). These action figures are Transformers, Ninja Turtles, Super Heroes and Villains. He knows all their names. Lil A and his imagination played endlessly with his ‘guys’ on the living room rug. Occasionally he would become distracted or leave them unattended. Enter Grandma.

G: Should we pick these up?

DH: No – he’ll be back. Just leave them there.

G: I just don’t want them to get lost.

DH: They won’t.

G: Well someone might step on them and they'd break.

DH: I don’t think anyone will step on them. Just leave them till bedtime. They aren't hurting anything.

G: (Silence)

Lil A also brought some movies along, which we enjoyed watching with him. Surprisingly, none of his movies starred Lawrence Welk or Bill Gaither (not even in animated form). Grandma chose to stay with the family in the living room, though we offered to get her some music in her apartment. Lil A and I went to the library and checked out a few more movies, one being Casper the Friendly Ghost. (At least it had some real people in it).  We took it home and popped it in the player.  Grandma sat watching intently.

G: What is the purpose of this show?

DH: Purpose? Just entertainment.

G: Do you think it’s entertaining?

DH: Yeah… it’s OK.

G: I guess I just don’t get it.

One morning, as Lil A was flying his hand held airplane around the living room making “airplane sounds” he accidentally banked it (once or twice) into the back of Grandma’s chair.

G: Don’t hit my chair please.

Lil A: Sarwy.

A while later, that dang plane did it again.

G: Please don’t hit my chair.

Lil A: Oh Sarwy

Lil A continued to pilot his aircraft, when wouldn’t you know - a bit of tail wind caused one last bump. Grandma became like an irate passenger and raised her voice. Then I raised mine.

Me: Mom, maybe you’d be more comfortable in the basement. Why don’t you go down for a while before lunch?

There. I’d sent my Mother to Time Out.

We have a rocking chair sitting in front of a front window. Grandma must have thought it was too near the window. Since Lil A was standing by it, the following transpired:

G: Lil A, would you move that rocking chair please so it’s not so close to the window? (Lil A complies)

G: A little more that way… (again, he obliges)

G: Pull it forward a little… I think it’s going to hit the window. (She gets a look but he obeys)

I’m not sure Grandma completes the next command when Lil A stops abruptly and says:

Lil A: You aren’t my best friend because you keep making me move that chair! (The ultimate 3 year old insult… much like an 85 year old’s “I’m going to move out” threat.)

The next time Grandma asked Lil A to do something... he wasted no time in saying to her:

Lil A:  You're a Loser. 

Since we were fairly certain "Loser" was a word on the 'no fly list' with his Mommy and Daddy... Papa made him apologize immediately.  We of course then had to wonder if Grandma thought she had just been eliminated from a game she wasn't aware she was playing. 

Now I don’t mean to paint a picture of irritation. The two got along very well for the vast majority of the visit. In fact, at one point, Lil A became Grandma’s best friend. If you recall, Grandma had a great deal of problems with the satellite remote control (continually losing her programs) so DH found some ultra-simple 6 button controllers for her to use. Well, one of Lil A’s movies (that DH had recorded for him) had commercials. Lil A caught on quickly, how to zap through the commercials using the complicated remote. Grandma watched in awe.

The next morning, I left the two (Grandma and Lil A) alone for five minutes while I drove CeCe to school. Lil A was glued to a movie. When I returned Grandma announced she now knows how to zoom through those pesky commercials.

Me: You do?!

G: Yes, Lil A brought me the remote and I said, “I don’t know how to use this” and he said, “You just push the yellow button". He was right!

Now – if Grandma would press ONLY the yellow button , there’d be no problem. It’s the other 35 buttons that get her into trouble. And I have a feeling the exchange between the two (while I was gone) went more like this:

G: Lil A, how do you get the TV to go fast like that? Can you show Grandma?

And then I’m sure he took her the remote, gave her the two second tutorial and then went back to his movie. That Grandma ... she's a sly one.

The last full day of our Kentucky Boys’ visit – we arranged for Belle to come spend the day. The cousins had a great time and DH and I were in NaPa heaven. What fun we had… and Grandma did as well. She may have gone (voluntarily) to the basement for a while but she returned to a myriad of toys, cartoons and happy kiddos.

The next morning, Lil A and his Daddy left to go visit other family members in Iowa. Grandma was sad to see them go. Later that day she asked when they’d be back.

Me: Thanksgiving.

G: Not till then?

I often see parallels between Grandma and the Grandchildren. They can be overtly honest... painstakingly stubborn.... and very entertaining.

“Do you think it’s entertaining?”

Absolutely!

So ends Episode 42