[I wrote this in 2006 but it is more appropriate as time goes by. One of the things I love when we spend our winters in Florida is having my grandkids visit and being able to walk down to the dock and fish with them. Brings back memories--and builds new ones.]
“Take me
fishing,” cherub faced youngsters plead in a public service commercial that
runs frequently during the summer fishing season in our state. It’s the last
little girl about ten years old, who tugs at my heartstrings. “Take me fishing,”
she begs her brown eyes wide and innocent. “Because my wedding day will be here
before you know it.”
Maybe it’s
because I see myself in her and remember the great times spent with my
grandfather sitting and watching a red and white bobber float on the surface of
the lake as we waited for the big one
to bite. Grandpa always seemed to have all the time in the world to sit with me
and coach me in the skill of knowing just when to jerk the line to hook my
fish. It taught me a lot about patience.
Grandpa had
a lot of patience when it came to teaching me math basics as well. He would
tear off a long sheet of white shelf paper and fill it with simple addition and
subtraction problems. He nurtured in me a love for mathematics which served me
well in school. There was always time to show me how to plant a flower
properly, turn a pancake over when he made the special treats, or know which
tomatoes were just right for the picking. The key word in this relationship was
time.
Today, time
spent with grandchildren is just as valuable but often difficult to squeeze in
between all the extra-curricular activities that fill a child’s life and all
the opportunities that are presented to active grandparents no matter what
their stage of life.
“Take me
fishing…hiking…biking…exploring…” All of these and more are now available to
grandparents and their grandkids through summer camp programs. The programs are
varied, lasting from a weekend up to a week. This can be the answer to those
grandparents and grandkids who are separated by miles. It can bring them
together for an experience that will create lasting memories and a special
bond.
Dr. Arthur
Kornhaber, a family psychiatrist who has studied the grandparent role since
1970, started one of the original camps in 1986 at Great Camp Sagamore, on Raquette Lake
in New York
Grandkids
and Me, founded by Don Schmitz, offers a grandparents’ camp that features a
discussion time with other grandparents as well as the opportunity to interact
with your grandchildren in the beautiful natural area of the camp near Amery , Wisconsin
At www.elderhostel.org, you can choose, according
to your desired level of physical activity, other intergenerational programs that
offer travel both domestic and international. Enjoy everything from bird
watching to hiking, skiing, and kayaking with your grandchildren.
Some local
zoos also offer programs where overnight camping is available and you and your
grandchild are introduced to nocturnal animals. Or check out a park system near
you that might be offering nature programs and camping. The idea is growing and
opportunities are multiplying.
Camps and
outings like these can dispel the idea that grandparents are old and feeble.
“Most folks conceive their notions of grandparents early in life. My own
notion, which I’m sure is shared by many, was that grandparents were elderly,
had gray hair, wore old fashioned clothes, and, if not feeble in the muscle,
were at least stiff in the joints,” says Eric Wiggin in his book, The Gift of Grandparenting.
Even if the
physical level of your activity is limited, the opportunity to be together will
draw your grandchildren closer to you and help them to see you in a different
light. The valuable life experience you bring to that shared time will enrich
their lives and cement relationships.
So, take
them fishing. Take them camping. Spend some precious time devoted only to
them—because as parents we learned that all too quickly the time passes and
suddenly, the children are grown.
No comments:
Post a Comment