While these are warm and fuzzy and quite funny, the last one almost broke my heart.
What is a grand-parent?
(taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)

Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of her own.

They like other people's.

A grandfather is a man grandmother.

Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them.

They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run.

It is good if they drive us to the store and have lots of quarters for us.

When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.

They show us and talk to us about the color of the flowers and also Why we shouldn't step on "cracks."

They don't say, "Hurry up."

Usually grandmothers are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes.

They wear glasses and funny underwear.

They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandparents don't have to be smart.

They have to answer questions like "why isn't God married?" and "How come dogs chase cats?".

When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again.

Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television, because they are the only grown ups who like to spend time with us.

Well by the sounds of it I'm perfect grandparent material...

...too bad I don't have kids yet, let alone grandkids !

The last one got me, too.

And, the whole thing makes me miss my own grandparents. I was very fortunate to grow up with all 4 of my grandparents. I was 35 when the last one died, so I had a long time to spend loving them.

(I'm moving this to the Commons, as I think it might fit better there.)

Can I add my favourite Grandparent sayings

Grandchildren are wonderful - they visit and play - and then go home.

Grandchildren are wonderful - I wish I'd had them first!
(not that I have any at the present time!)

Linda, I actually had the opposite situation and never met any of my grandparents. My parents emigrated to Australia and as far as I’m aware 3 of my grandparents had passed away before I was born and my maternal grandmother passed away when I was 7. It’s not something that made me sad either when I was a child or now, I guess because my parents gave me plenty of love and attention. My children (3 and 5) are in the same situation, which makes me all the more determined to make sure that they receive all the loving and attention ALL children deserve.

That last remark was a thoroughly great thing to read, Eraserhead. A heartening way to start the day. (And I mean that; not trying to be cynical ). 2 of my Grandparents passed away long before I was born. One was actually a slave owner and started his family somewhat late in life. Another, my Grandmother, died after going up to her neck in flood waters to free the horses from drowning in West Virginia. The surviving two were an interesting pair. My grandma was a flapper in the 20s (and never once lost her colorfulness, not even as she finally faced death). My grandpa on the other side lived to be almost a hundred after living a life of dirt farming and eventually having 13 kids. A pretty eclectic group, but everyone loved everyone (despite that they couldn't remember whose name in this crowd was what, some of the time). But they created a continuum. While I may not be able to connect well with what that "two generations ahead of me" were entirely about I certainly can see what they left as they travelled. And where it will hopefully go in generations to come...

Quote:

---

My grandma was a flapper

---

Umm, Gatsby? What is that??

"They can take their teeth and gums out." And wasn't that the coolest thing ever?? Hey, I was five.

Mother's side grandparents were excellent, saw them often and they always had good stuff to do. They were pretty poor but even going to the local bridge and yelling "WILMA" Fred Flintstone style, underneath it was high excitement for us. Father's side i didn't know so well, the grandfather was a prisoner of war in Changi and spent the rest of his years a little umm, traumatised and died when I was four and the grandmother was in a retirement home as long as I can remember. Only saw her once a year maybe and with forty odd grandchildren she could never remember who was who. I was the third last in all the grandkids of hers and it would seem she'd go through all the other names, boys and girls, before she'd get to mine.

Just an side story about the grandfather who had been to war. My father was born after he had left and was five or so before he got to see his father. The story goes that all the soldiers were taken to Horden Pavillion in Sydney to meet their families again and the family had organized that my dad would run up first to see his dad for the first time when he was pointed out to him. There was six older children than him and the excitement got too much and dad was left in the dust as everyone else went running up.