Grilled Grandma: Sherri

How many children do you have? I have 3 children.  Erica, 27, Tiffany, 24 and Russell, 20

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? I have 2 grandchildren.  Jenna is 7 and Duncan is 3

Any great grandchildren? nooooooo. maybe in a few years.

What do your grandchildren call you? Funny thing about that...The oldest grandchild, Jenna, called me "Gran" from the beginning, which I love. Then Duncan came along and we figured that he would call me Gran too but, for some reason, he calls me "Nee", we don't know where that came from. So, they each call me something different, but it's ok, I answer to both. lol

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? I get to see mine every day because my daughter is a single parent and they live with me.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? Gee, that's a hard one... Looking into their little faces and seeing your child and also a bit of yourself is very cool.  Getting to do things with them and watch them experience things for the first time is amazing.  Seeing things through their eyes has definitely touched my life.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Since they live with me, my role is sometimes different than it would be if I only saw them occasionally. I'm glad to be there to do things with them, but I do think that it's different from what other grandparents experience. It can be a challenge to watch your child be the parent because sometimes you have to bite your tongue.  lol  Sometimes the challenge comes from the kids knowing who is in charge.  I've been asked for a cookie several times, after mom has said no. The kids definitely have tried to work us from time to time.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. They're always cracking me up with things that they say. 

Jenna, 7 was on my laptop the other day and she was trying to type her name.  She told my daughter she needed help doing her name and my daughter spelled it out, J-e-n-n-a, then Jenna said, no, I need help cause I can't find the other N.  lol

And this from, Duncan, 3: One night my daughter had put the kids to bed and it was starting to storm. We were in the living room and heard a loud clap of thunder, about 30 seconds later, here comes Duncan running out of his room yelling "Come check on me, it's thundering".

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? I like to scrapbook and make cards, so the kids love to cut and glue and make stuff.   

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? I want them to be givers of themselves, you know, to realize that it's not all about them and for them to do things to help others and make others happy.  I want them to know what it feels like to do something that makes a difference to someone whether it's a word or an action.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? LOVE. I hope that they'll look back on our memories and say, my Gran really, really loved me.

Sherri's blog is called her random thoughts. Head on over and check out the random thoughts she shares!