Creating Special Moments and Memories this Grandparents Day on September 12

Ask anyone to pick their favorite foods, and many will choose pizza and ice cream. Ask them to pick their favorite people, and grandparents will likely top the list. For me, ice cream and pizza are strongly tied to grandparenting.

My paternal grandmother lovingly pre-scooped ice cream for all her grandchildren. When I  went to friends’ homes, I noticed that most people would just bring the tubs out for everyone to serve themselves. But my grandma had a different approach. She carefully placed the ice-cream in bowls and then put them out on the table for all the kids. That usually precipitated a mad grab among her grandchildren, who were all attempting to score the biggest and most rounded scoops.

 Grandkids Creating Pizza – and Memories

And, while not doling out scoops, I have gone the slice route and found a rather clever way to get my grandkids to help cook. Utilizing one of the family’s favorite new gadgets, a pizza oven, I assign each grandchild a role in preparing the pizza. The “pizza brigade” is a great way for the kids to learn to work as a team.

The popularity of the pizza oven had to take a backseat to me recently when the family was gathered together to celebrate a recent milestone birthday (yes, you guessed correctly, 40). The gathering marked one of my proudest moments as my wife and I had all our kids and grandchildren together.  I felt exceptionally proud of the fact that all my children are themselves great parents, which was very evident to me during my birthday celebration.

Spending quality time and connecting with grandkids

I am now a grandparent, and it’s one of the most important roles of my life. Being a grandparent is a great blessing bestowed on me. While I often focus on the joys and freedom of being a grandparent, I cannot forget that I also play an important function as an elder in my family, lending advice and support when needed.

The situation and location of a family help define how active grandparents are in the lives of their grandkids. Some grandparents act as caregivers for the younger children while the parents work. Others, because of distance, are grandparents from afar. They keep tabs on their grandkids through Facebook and Instagram posts, frequent FaceTime or Zoom calls, or highly anticipated visits around the holidays.

My friends at Cheryl’s recently posted a story about the benefits of kids and grandkids spending quality time together. The article included comments from Ruth Nemzoff, Ed.D., a resident scholar at Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center, and a grandmother of 11.

She said the pandemic allowed her, and others like her, to focus on keeping in touch. “I had time to read the books [my grandkids] were reading and then to discuss them with them.” She even took one of her grandsons on a virtual walk, describing and discussing nature with him via FaceTime.

If you are lucky enough to be near your grandkids, the article offers tips about how to spend more quality time with them, including exploring their interests, playing games together, and taking field trips. I feel that making pizza together should have probably made that list.

Honoring our Grandparents this Grandparents Day

As we get older and start to lose our grandparents, we recall them fondly and the life lessons they taught us. On Grandparents Day, it’s important to remember them and all the memories they gave us, and, if you’re a grandparent now, aim to provide meaningful memories for your grandkids to remember you too.

If you are lucky enough to have your grandparents, be sure to reach out to them on Sept. 12 to celebrate Grandparents Day. Some ideas:

McCann kids and grandkids please see Simply chocolate and Wolferman’s Bakery … just saying.

You have the most important power to make their day!

Some of us who are older may remember a grandmother who made the best homemade pies, or a grandfather who got up at the crack of dawn to make flapjacks, or grandparents who took great joy and satisfaction in watching their grandkids devour the food in front of them.

Happy Grandparents Day!

PS: I have been discussing caregiving in recent letters and wanted to share a moving story about Tom Coughlin, a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach and a caregiver to his wife.

PPS: Dr. Dan Willingham, a member of our Connectivity Council wrote a piece in The Washington Post about why names are so easy to forget and how you can make remembering easier.