How to be a Grandmother (Verb)

Everyone knows that a noun is a person, place or thing, and certainly a grandmother is a person. She may be a relatively unknown person the kids see once a year at Christmas, who sends birthday cards with a wrinkled five dollar bill in it for birthdays.  My paternal grandmother was a noun grandmother.

A verb shows action. Examples of verbs include: bake, hug, twirl, laugh, kiss, snuggle and play. Thus, a verb grandmother is full of action; actions that demonstrate that the child is of utmost importance to the verb grandmother and worthy of baking for, hugging, twirling, kissing, snuggling and playing with.

I pride myself on being a verb grandmother. Actually, I chose to be called Nana because there are so many grammy's in my family I thought it might get confusing. One of my granddaughters has two Nanas' so I am Nana-Lin and the other is Nana-Christine. I believe that grandmas', unless they are too old and frail, should make the effort to get into the child's world and down on the floor to play whatever said grandchild wants to play.  I don't want a grandkids' visit to be of me crocheting in my recliner while they are zoned out on Sponge Bob. I want a kid up on my lap learning to read or just talking to me, asking questions about how it was when I was a little kid. 

My grandmother, without a doubt, was a verb Grammy, and had a profound effect on my life. I learned so much from just observing the things she did for the family. How hard she worked to make sure we had enough canned jars of vegetables in the cellar, and that she had knit enough mittens to fit all of our hands.  She had a ton of grandkids, but my brothers, mother and I lived with her, so we were as special to her as she was to us.

My grandmother taught me to sew, knit (I don't know how to now), crochet (nothing more than a chain stitch left in the memory bank now), garden (got that one!) and to cook (got that one too). But in watching her, I learned the importance of helping a friend in need, the value of working hard, and the importance of family.  Although she wasn't an affectionate woman, I knew she loved me because she wanted to teach me what she knew.  She was all verb--always doing something with her time. She was a great cook and we had a homemade dessert every single night, along with homemade bread. Her doughnuts were out of this world and I would give everything I have right now to just have a couple of her homemade molasses donuts. She make the lightest meringue, the fluffiest yeast rolls and the best corn chowder in the world.  I learned to be a verb grandmother from a very good example,

I took two of my grandchildren on a picnic today and then to the park. I'm lame tonight from picking Brandon up to put him on the slide (he's such a little peanut that his legs don't reach), but it was so much fun.  Ivy is certainly old enough to remember it, but Brandon is only 18 months old and won't.  I will just have to maintain my standing as a verb grandmother by doing, doing and more doing.  I just pray that my grandchildren will have the same feelings about me when they are grown.

Thanks Grammy, for being a verb grammy.

Brandon is our first grandson (after five granddaughters) and what a terror he is! I look at his mother, pulling her hair out at his antics and think, "yeah, and it's only starting..."

Ivy is a sweet princess with a diva attitude at times, but she is so special to me. Of all six of my grandchildren, she was the only one I wasn't present for the birth.

How I love these two precious gifts from God!