Grandma Basics

6 Ways of Being Present With Children

Parents are often reminded about the importance of “being present” with their children … that phrase can also be applied to grandparents. As grandmas we do not normally spend as much time with our grandchildren as their parents do, so we want to make sure that we are making the most of our time together. As gung ho grandmas, we can work on being present with grandchildren.

Being present is simply about giving your full attention with what is happening right now, in the moment, without wanting it to be different. It means being aware of how you are responding to your grandchild. It is staying right here in the moment, not in the past or in the present.

March 19, 2017 2 comments

Grandma Basics

Grandma Names … If You Don’t Want to Be Called Grandma

written by grammiestewart

We were having dinner with our oldest daughter and her husband when she casually announced that they were selling the queen-sized bed in their guest room. I asked her why in the world they were doing that (we had slept many nights on that comfy bed as guests). She said with a grin, “Because we are going to put a crib in there!”

It was that magical moment that I saw myself as a grandma for the first time.

One of the first things we discussed was what my husband and I would be called by this new grandchild. Grandma and grandpa? No, my son-in-law’s parents would probably be called that. My husband wanted to be called Papa J (which sounded suspiciously like a rapper), but I had no idea.

March 11, 2017 8 comments

Building Brains Grandma Basics

Thirty Million Words (Part 3) Take Turns

written by grammiestewart

I have many important roles, but the ones I feel have been most significant in my life are wife, mom, teacher and grandma. Often I read something that changes my thinking and I feel makes me better in my roles. So it happened when I read the book Thirty Million Words by Dana Suskind. It was more like being hit by lightning!

This is the 3rd post about the exciting skills I learned from the book. It is dealing with the third T concept … Take Turns (my first post about this book was about Tune In and the second post about Talk More).

February 7, 2017 4 comments

Building Brains Grandma Basics

Thirty Million Words (Part 2) – Talk More

written by grammiestewart

Talk More, which goes hand in hand with Tune In, refers to a parent’s increased talking with a child, especially about what the child is focusing on, not to him or her. – Dana Suskind

This is Part 2 of my writing about the book Thirty Million Words by Dana Suskind. It will explain the concept of “Talk More” with our young grandchildren!

Talk More

More than just the number of words, it’s the kind of words and how those words are said that is important. You want to use a diverse vocabulary, day after day, with a very young child (remember from the first post, that language is crucial in the years from birth to age 3). You want to increase the amount of talking you do WITH a child, especially about what the child is interested in at the moment.

February 4, 2017 3 comments

Building Brains Grandma Basics

Thirty Million Words (Part 1) Tune In

written by grammiestewart

Parent talk is probably the most valuable resource in our world. No matter the language, the culture, the nuances of vocabulary, or the socioeconomic status, language is the element that helps develop the brain to its optimum potential. – Dana Suskind

I have many important roles, but the ones I feel have been most significant in my life are mom, teacher and grandma. Often I read something that changes my thinking and I feel makes me better in my roles. So it happened when I read the book Thirty Million Words by Doctor Dana Suskind. It was more like being hit by lightening! Because it has changed how I think, I just had to share what I learned with other gung ho grandmas and parents!

January 29, 2017 0 comment

Grandma Basics Nurturing Relationships

Be An Enriching Grandma (Grandma Basics 101)

written by grammiestewart

Grandma Basics 101 Post #4

There are as many different kinds of grandmas as there are kinds of women … some are great grandmas, some are good grandmas, some glamorous grandmas, some Earth Mother grandmas, some grouchy grandmas, and some are uninterested and absent. Want to be the kind of grandmother that goes down in history as the best one EVER?

I am writing a series of 6 posts, each about a way of becoming that kind of grandparent … think of it as being enrolled in a basic course in grandmothering from the Gung Ho Grandma School of Awesomeness!

Here is the sixth (and last) post …

Looking back, the times I loved best with my Grandma Chubala was when she taught me something…

She sat outside with me on her farm and taught me how to shuck peas.
During milking-time, she patiently showed me how to pull on the cow’s udder just right so milk would come out (man, it is WAY harder than it looks, but I eventually got the hang of it) and then explained how the machine worked that separated the cream from the milk.
She demonstrated how to peel a potatoe with a paring knife without cutting your fingers (which I was always terrified would happen).
She taught me how to prime the pump so I could get water.
I learned how to play BINGO by playing it with her from a show on the TV (I guess they used to do that).

November 20, 2016 0 comment

Grandma Basics Nurturing Relationships Uncategorized

Less Stuff, More You (Grandma Basics 101)

written by grammiestewart

Grandma Basics 101 Post #4

Here is the fifth post …

No one loves to buy things for a grandchild more than me … I am on the hunt for grandchild treasures at every mall I enter, Chinese site on the internet I check out, thrift store I explore, or garage sale I stop at. Before I even became a grandma, I had 10 boxes of stuff collected for my nonexistent grandchild! I can get a little out of control …

Most parents who are raising a family appreciate getting free clothes, toys and books for their kids, BUT the best way to enrich your grandchild’s life is through less stuff and more you!

November 19, 2016 0 comment

Grandma Basics Nurturing Relationships

Avoid Comparisons Like the Plague (Grandma Basics 101)

written by grammiestewart

Grandma Basics 101 Post #4

Here is the fourth post …

If you lived in the 1300’s, you really didn’t want to get the Black Plague.

It killed an estimated 75-200 million people in Europe. Buboes (swollen lymph nodes) would appear on your body which would ooze pus and bleed. That was followed by fever and vomiting of blood. Most victims died 2 to 7 days after being infected. Gross.

The Black Plague was definitely to be avoided if you wanted to live.

And as hard as you would have worked to avoid getting the plague in the 1300’s, try that hard to avoid comparing your grandchildren to others.

November 15, 2016 0 comment

Grandma Basics Nurturing Relationships

Using Photographs to Capture the Magic of Childhood

written by grammiestewart

I really should be going to meetings of CA (Cameras Anonymous). I am often out-of-control with a camera in my hands, taking pictures of every little thing that is happening with my grandchildren … them eating, playing, bathing, breathing. But that isn’t always necessarily a bad thing.

In the early 1990s, Sally Mann famously told The New York Times Magazine,

“Sometimes I think the only memories I have are those that I’ve created around photographs of me as a child.”

I think that is rather true; now that I am in adulthood, I tend to remember my childhood from pictures taken by my parents. My own children loved to look at the photos in their scrapbooks when they were young, and the experiences that are recorded there seem to be the ones they have the most vivid memories of.

October 23, 2016 2 comments

Grandma Basics Nurturing Relationships Uncategorized

Grandchildren – Love, Them, Love Them, Love Them! (Grandma Basics 101)

written by grammiestewart

Grandma Basics 101 Post #3

Here is the third post …

Love Them, Love Them, Love Them!

Want to get an A+ on your report card at the Gung Ho Grandma School of Awesomeness, then love your grandchildren unconditionally ( and for most gung ho grandmas, that comes very easily). The force that pulls us to them is stronger than gravity. When my daughter had my first grandchild, I was taken by surprise how instantly I loved this new baby.

October 13, 2016 0 comment

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Grandma Basics

Being present is simply about giving your full attention with what is happening right now, in the moment, without wanting it to be different. It means being aware of how you are responding to your grandchild. It is staying right here in the moment, not in the past or in the present.

Talk More, which goes hand in hand with Tune In, refers to a parent’s increased talking with a child, especially about what the child is focusing on, not to him or her. – Dana Suskind

Talk More

Parent talk is probably the most valuable resource in our world. No matter the language, the culture, the nuances of vocabulary, or the socioeconomic status, language is the element that helps develop the brain to its optimum potential. – Dana Suskind

Grandma Basics 101 Post #4

Here is the sixth (and last) post …

Looking back, the times I loved best with my Grandma Chubala was when she taught me something…

Grandma Basics 101 Post #4

Here is the fifth post …

Grandma Basics 101 Post #4

Here is the fourth post …

“Sometimes I think the only memories I have are those that I’ve created around photographs of me as a child.”

Grandma Basics 101 Post #3

Love Them, Love Them, Love Them!