Giving Grandchildren a Great Time
Colleen Moulding

  

The grandchildren are coming to stay.  You're excited.  But then you begin to worry.  Will they be bored?  How will you occupy them when they leave their mountain bikes and computer games behind?  Relax. 

Surely it's the differences in the way time is spent with Grandparents that makes it so memorable.  Working Mums don't get much time to bake cakes and knit doll's clothes.  Busy Dads don't get round to going swimming or having a game of chess.  That's not to say that a few ideas up your sleeve would be wasted.  If your home environment is very different from theirs--i.e., town and country--then there will be lots to see and do.  If not, dream up a couple of walks to parks or museums they never visit, take the bus if they go everywhere by car, visit a proper restaurant or coffee shop instead of fast food outlets. 

Try to find photographs of when you were children and tell them about your life then.  Perhaps you could start a family tree book together with photographs and a few lines about each person.  Older children staying for a weekend or longer might like to help Grandad with a day project, putting in a pond or laying a few paving stones.  Boys or girls would enjoy learning how to make sausage rolls and real lemonade to drink afterwards.  You could teach them how to play some of the old fashioned games like jacks or marbles, or show them how to press flowers, leaves and grasses as a lovely reminder of their holiday. 

Buy a scrap book and school glue to save tickets, postcards, feathers etc. and take the time to teach them how to tie fancy knots or start little girls at crochet or embroidery.

Make a den with chairs, pegs and sheets just the way you did for their parents or sail paper boats in a washing-up bowl on the lawn. For quieter times, raid your bookcases for a Billy Bunter book or an adventure story to read together and you could be starting them on a lifetime of fun.

After a long stay it would be nice to have an extra special outing.  You could watch knights jousting in the grounds of a medieval castle, watch lions and zebras roam a wildlife park, marvel at the huge animals at a Shire horse centre or thrill to the excitement of an air display.  These are just a few of the endless possibilities.  Visit your nearest Tourist Information Centre and collect a host of leaflets about local and national attractions.  Finally, don't forget to take some photographs as the memories of this special time together are sure to be among the most precious in your lives.  Have fun!
   

Colleen Moulding is a freelance writer living in the south of England. She is also the owner/editor of All That Women Want.com, a magazine, web guide and resource for women everywhere.

  


 
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Yes, life can be mysterious and confusing--but there's much of life that's actually rather dependable and reliable.  Some principles apply to life in so many different contexts that they can truly be called universal--and learning what they are and how to approach them and use them can teach us some of the most important lessons that we've ever learned.
My doctorate is in Teaching and Learning.  I use it a lot when I teach at school, but I also do my best to apply what I've learned to the life I'm living, and to observe how others live their lives.  What makes them happy or unhappy, stressed or peaceful, selfish or generous, compassionate or arrogant?  In this book, I've done my best to pass on to you what I've learned from people in my life, writers whose works I've read, and stories that I've heard.  Perhaps these principles can be a positive part of your life, too!
Universal Principles of Living Life Fully.  Awareness of these principles can explain a lot and take much of the frustration out of the lives we lead.