“Memeh,
what do you want to drink?”
“Hmm,
I don't know.”
“Well,
you have to eat healthy, so here, have some low fat milk,” quickly
grabbing a small carton of milk from the counter, and putting it on
the tray.
“Oh,
and you will want peas, right?” proceeding to put the little bowl
of peas on the tray. “And the baked potato with broccoli and
cheese.” Down
the line, the little hand picked up an orange, saying,” You don't
want the mixed fruit in syrup. You do not need syrup.”
This
was the exchange between me and my five year old kindergarten
granddaughter, Ari, while going down the cafeteria line for lunch on
grandparents 
Ari's healthy choices for grandma
One
would think I was speaking with my fitness and diet coach. But I'm
in good hands, obviously, with my youngest granddaughter.
selfie time before healthy lunch
She
can even be my very own fashion consultant. She was with me and one
of my daughters on one of my shopping trips, mainly to look for a
black purse. I almost always just go for the neutral colors like
black, or beige, or gray, so it is easy to coordinate with any color
clothes.
“No,
no, no, Memeh (this is how all my grand kids call me). You are
always wearing black, or black and white. Look, you are wearing
black right now,” she said as she pulled me towards the colorful
purses.
“Here,
how about this?” she said, as she took a bright yellow cross body
bag from the rack. “You
should have some color in your life!” she lectured me some more.
A
lady looking at us, who looked like a fellow grandma, couldn't help
laughing, and said, “My, they start young nowadays, don't they?”
I
ended up buying the yellow bag, and she relented and agreed on a dark
blue one in lieu of the black.
I
never knew how it felt to have a grandma, growing up. Both my
maternal and paternal grandmothers had passed away before I was born. So I had no idea what to expect or how it would feel to be a
grandmother. I had no standard to follow, to gauge my performance as
a grandmother against, except to remember how my mother was with my
children.
I
first joined this elite club thirteen years ago, and received the
highly coveted title of “Grandma.” I had to travel all the way
to the Netherlands just to see this precious prince, and claim the
perks and rewards of hugs and kisses. And for each and every one of
the 5 grandchildren who followed, in California, and Arizona - I
made sure I was there.
When
I had my first child, people told me, bayad
ka na or 'You
have paid back.' I have often heard this said before – that you
can't pay back your mother
for
having brought you into this world, until you have given birth to a
child of your own. What a horrible thing to say! This statement is
the exact opposite and definitely does not come close to the joy and
elation that comes with becoming a grandparent. One does not think
of a payback, or worse, revenge. My mother never told me that. I
never told my daughters that. I don't know how this notion ever came
about.
All
I know is how I feel. Being a grandma is a gift. It is a joy and a
privilege to be part of these young lives. And I intend to enjoy
them and celebrate their triumphs, big and small. I intend to claim
my hugs and kisses before they get too tall for my arms to enclose
them, or they get to be teenagers, and therefore I would get my hugs
only after their mom barks at them, “Give your grandma a hug!”
Oh
by the way, there is another rumor going around, that grandparents
love their grandchildren more than their own children. In all
honesty, I have to say, there is some tiny truth to this. Maybe
because we are here to just enjoy them, and have the luxury of
returning them to their parents when they become difficult. After
all, I just want to be a popular grandma to my grand children. Their
moms and dads can discipline them.
I have gone from being a daughter, to a wife, to a mother, and now,
to a grandmother. All of the above have been great and wonderful.
But I have to say, I have saved the BEST for last.
HAPPY
GRANDPARENTS' DAY!
Grandparents' Day
09/08/2013
