i wondered when it would happen. when the kids would fall in love with their grandparents.

i remember when we lived in edmonton my gran came for visit. she was an eccentric lady and came out with all sorts of comments that you would NOT expect. she came out once a year or so. and one year i was sick the day she left. and i remember crying, because her taxi had come, my grandma had gone, and i hadn't said goodbye. mum soothed me..."don't cry, you will only make your headache worse.." but i remember feeling so sad that someone so fun had gone. someone who was mine.

i am watching my kids fall in love with their grandparents. it started this summer with granddad doug and then with my parents, but six months later, they are so much older.

sebastian, with his social anxiety, of course takes a long time to warm up to anyone. but the other night, with a pulsing fever, he pulled special blanket along the ground and approached my mum. knowing he was going to say "no", mum offered, "do you want to come lie by me?" and before you could say "cat's whiskers", sebastian was up on my mum, lying across her. little button. he was asleep in minutes, but it was one of those restless twitchy fevers.

jasper takes great joy in his grandad blake's jokes, accents and sword fighting. they all love how mo reads them books. sela loves how there are two more people to adore her and agree that she is the bees knees and very clever and very smart. carys loves having two more people in her world.

as my parents pack their suitcases, each of the kids have traipsed into their room and asked them why they are packing. each has said they don't want their grandparents to leave. this is huge. you would think that some kids would want to get their playroom, their wii, their toys back. but amazingly and wonderfully, the kids are sad their grandparents are going.

i see the relationships that my nieces and nephew have with grandad doug and i am sorry that my kids don't share that. but, it is good that the kids are growing up to the point where they are appreciating and cherishing the time they do spend with their grandparents.

today as mo was packing, carys and sela and i were watching her. mo pulled out a sarong when sela screamed (i was next to her, yes she did) "I remember that mo! that is you at summer!" earlier in the day she said, "you smell like mo at fintry today" after mum had put on lotion. carys for her part, said to my mum, :i can't wait to see you this summer."

i am not making this a succinct post at all, but i am making it a happy one.

because i really am very happy about this. the kids will be seeing doug at well this summer and can get into the fun with him too.

and i can only hope that if they are too young to have actual memories of these times, they have happy feelings of their grandparents.

it's been a very good visit.

Comments

[Auntie Pammie]

That is so sweet that the kids are coming to that age. I can only imagine that we can hear the
"crack" of Mo and blake's hearts as they leave their loved Grandchildren. Thank-God for Fintry being not too far away!!
Love Auntie Pammie and Bebe

[odila]

Tess my dear... so here I am...teary eyes with your story. It's so true (and I hope this applies to me when my grandmother days come) how grandparents can be so remarkable in our childhood, no?
Good for your 4 kids who have such fun and participative grandparents.
Love
Odila

[Maureen Lyons]

And Auntie Pammie is so correct - you can hear the 'crack' of our hearts. As we have watched many young children at play with their families at the Desaru resort the week I have longed for 'our' own sweet ones. Miss them terribly already and it has only been a week. Sigh.

Much love, M xox