It’s a Sunday afternoon and right now my kids are in the living room playing kitchen and baby dolls with their Great Grandma Ruth. I don’t have any work to do, but I am in the office, so they have time to play their game without being interrupted. I can hear them taking each other’s orders like at a restaurant, using the cash register to complete their orders, and comforting the baby dolls that they are babysitting.
My children love spending time with their Great Grandparents, and I am so grateful for their bond. I notice a few things when Great Grandma Ruth comes around:
- The children are distracted for hours in a game of make believe, using their imagination to make up games, characters and story lines
- Grandma is energized and completely engaged in this charade for hours on end
- The children do not fight or complain, they take turns and jump in on the make believe as it takes twists and turns
- Grandma, who rarely leaves her house, due to poor health, is walking around, performing math (with the cash register), teaching them how to care for babies and is genuinely having as much fun as the kids are
The bond between the old and young is so precious. I’m talking about an age difference of 70+ years. This age difference is spread over many decades and technological advancements, but the elderly and the youth do not seem to notice the difference.
My Grandma was 81 when she died of cancer. My children were only 1 and 3 at the time, but she also shared a very special bond with the children. To this day, my older one recalls different games she would play with Grandma Brown, she remembers where she lived, and we love to look at pictures of them together. We still have blankets and bedding that she made for the children. Their bond lasts through the years even after her passing. She told me in her last weeks that she was so happy with her life, and she had no regrets at all, but she wished she could have been around to see the kids grow older.
My children are fortunate that they still have 3 living Great Grandmothers and 1 Great Grandfather to play with. Each one has a very different and unique bond. From coloring, painting and playing make believe, the time spent with Great Grandparents is a precious blessing. The memories last long beyond childhood and the benefits for the elderly are extraordinary.
When I was in the Marines, I used to be pen pals with my Great Grandma. She lived in Colorado, and we would write back and forth during my time at bootcamp and deployments. She always had a great story to tell me and I would tell her about all of my adventures in the Marines. She said that she would try to picture me doing all these exercises, but she could only picture young Jenny and it always made her laugh when she would try to imagine me all grown up as a tough Marine.
As I reflect on the precious bonds between the very young and the elderly, I am filled with precious memories of my childhood and memories of those who have passed. As I listen in from the other room, they have moved on from babysitting and they are now running a horse ranch. Some of the animals have escaped the ranch and the cowboy must go collect the horses. I can’t help but think of the benefits for Great Grandma as well as providing the children with a lifetime of wonderful memories. I am thankful that my children can build a relationship with Great Grandma and they are all able to experience an afternoon filled with fun games, no technology required!
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