Grey-Bruce Kids Winter 2021/22

Crouched down – so close to the earth that I can smell the
rich, dark soil – I peer at the tiny bug making its way across
the puddle in the driveway; a puddle that must seem like a vast
ocean.
A little hand reaches out to offer a safe resting place, no fear of
creepy crawlies, just an inquisitive child wanting to explore. It is
during these encounters that I feel the most blessed to have the
best job in the world, one that has no schedule, no limits, no
judgment... just pure, in-the-moment wonder.
On Nov. 7, 2012, my husband Rick and I were promoted to
the best job ever… we became grandparents. From that day on
we became Nana and Ba (our granddaughter Gracie’s choice as
she learned to say Grandpa), and knew that every day we would
work on developing a loving, supportive and joyful relationship
with her and with her brother Gavin, who arrived over three
years later.
Grandparents provide a different type of relationship than
parents do with their kids. Speaking for ourselves, it is a more
relaxed experience. Without the pressures that come with raising
children, our role as grandparents is one of unconditional love
and support, filling our time together with imaginative play and
creativity, while passing down skills and knowledge. Grandkids
love to learn and what better way to spend time than learning
something together.
The pandemic has made it difficult for some families to nurture
the grandparent and grandchild relationship. In our case, our
grandkids live in the U.S., and with border closures, it has
been a challenge to see them. Thankfully with technology, we
can talk every day and share some of their milestones and daily
happenings. We have had tours of Gracie’s doll house, been
shown her dolls and their extensive wardrobe, listened to tales
from Girl Scout meetings, checked out all the cool bugs and
reptiles in her book, and enjoyed a dance party or two. Gavin
will call and ask what we did that day, telling us all we need to
know about tractors, showing us his latest creations, and playing
dress up.
Many times when the kids video chat, all they want to do is
play around with the settings to become dragons or catch pizza
instead of chatting. What is a grandparent supposed to do?
Play along, enjoy the giggles, become a pizza eating dragon!
Sometimes we read a book or have the kids read to us. There are
many ways to interact using the Internet such as family Bingo
games or watching movies together. We have even organized
charades, favourite jokes nights and trivia calls with them.
Our grandkids know they can call any time to share anything
with us... even if it is a 30 second call to say they just saw a
snake eat a frog on TV! It always makes our hearts sing when we
receive a voicemail notification from them and have fun sending
one back.
When the kids are here we are completely invested in their time
with us. The chore list is shortened so that our precious time
with them is maximized. The great outdoors never fails to keep
us all active as we build memories together. Sharing our love of
respecting Mother Nature through gentle exploration, teaching
them how things grow, and child-led play has us looking at the
world with new wonder as we experience it through their eyes.
Gracie wants to be a master baker so we spend time learning
how to make macarons or basket weave pastry for a pie. While
the pie is baking, you will find us outside saving a bug or
learning to change a tire. Gavin is all about farm work and you
never see him without his John Deere hat. If he isn’t outside on
the tractor with Ba, you will find him and Nana building a Lego
city or helping Ba bake cookies.
Sometimes letting their time with us be child-led allows for a
day filled with learning together about a mushroom we saw on
a walk in the woods, or tracks left by a woodland creature. Just
the simple question, “What do you want to learn about today?”
opens an incredible opportunity for adventure.
Many times our everyday activities around our property and
in the house allow for learning and play... nothing fancy or
planned, just sharing our knowledge. It’s important for us
to spend time doing things they find interesting but just as
important to do things with them that you enjoy or they may
not have the opportunity to be exposed to, such as planting a
garden or raising chickens. It’s all a part of sharing what you love
with an open heart and open mind. You might not really like
painting rocks but the time spent chatting and being creative is
time well spent.
We like to travel with our grandkids and do our best to
introduce them to different cultures and experiences. It adds
an element of pureness to travel since they don’t have any
judgments and always live in the moment. There’s nothing like
returning to a place you have visited previously and visiting
again with your grandkids... I guarantee you will have a totally
different experience seeing it through their eyes.
World travel with our grandkids started early with a volunteer
trip to Nicaragua when Gracie was five and Gavin was 18
months. Watching them playing with the local kids reminded
us that we are all the same no matter how you live or what you
have.
Volunteering and giving back has always been a part of our
family life. As grandparents it’s important to us to instill this
value within our grandchildren, whether it be locally, such as
picking up garbage or helping at an event, or global service,
such as designing a bookmark to raise funds for sea turtles or
gathering supplies for a sloth sanctuary.
We truly believe that experiences are better than things, and you
don’t have to travel far – there is so much to do in our own area.
Spend a night in a yurt, plan a day-long road trip, go on a search
for the best poutine, do a scavenger hunt or Bingo at a local
provincial park, take them to a play or a concert, visit the local
library, museum or art gallery, take a class together, volunteer
at an event, hike or cycle the local trails, or pick up litter in a
playground. The things to do are truly endless.
A lovely way to nurture the grandparent/child relationship is by
having routines and traditions.
greybrucekids.com • 23