Grilled Grandma: Kc

How many children do you have? One amazing daughter named Jenna who is 37. She is a great daughter, wife, Mom, friend and amazing cook!

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? One awesome granddaughter, Amara, who will be 7 in April.

Any great grandchildren? No, but I intend to be here when the time comes and to be healthy enough to enjoy them!

What do your grandchildren call you? When Amara was young she struggled with Apraxia of speech and called me Nama. While I loved that name, I love that she no longer struggles with her speech and can very clearly pronounce Grandma Kc or Grammy when she is being silly!

Other than the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would be a grandmother? My first concern was for my daughter who had previously miscarried. My other fear was – what if it’s a boy? I would have loved one but been completely clueless on what to do with him or even how to change him!

How often do you get to see your grandchildren? LOTS! The kids live one mile away and I know how lucky I am.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? All of it. This is just the best job ever!

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? Never stepping on Mom or Dad’s authority. It is sometimes difficult when the 3 of us girls are out together but Jenna is very understanding when I do say something and it wasn’t my place.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. The other day I was telling Jenna about a picture I had found of Amara in her Alice in Wonderland costume and how little she was! You sometimes forget how small they really were. Amara overheard this and piped in – “Yes, those were the good old days!” Her mom and I both laughed – good old days and you aren’t even 7 yet!

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? This is hard to answer because Amara is just at the age where everything we do together is fun but I would have to say bath time is probably the best! At home, bath time is brief and usually done before bed. But here bath time is in the morning and it can be as long as she wants it to be. She picks out 3 bubble baths to take in with her from her current collection of about 10 and she mixes them and plays chemist and has a wonderful time playing. I have a wonderful time watching her play! It ends in Grandma washing and drying her long hair, which is always fun and all of this is followed by playing princess and dressing up. It is one of our favorite pastimes.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Amara loves it when I come over, which is actually often. She is always excited to show me something new or different in her room. Often times a new book to read or something new she has done at art class.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? Amara’s Mommy and I talk on the phone constantly and I often get to talk to Amara or she will ask to talk to me. I’m also lucky. Often times I get to take her to school or pick her up or attend some school function.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Memories. She loves hearing stories about when I was young, or her Mom was young or when she was young – especially stories about Mommy. I like telling her about the people she will never get to meet, like my Dad and my grandparents.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Peace

What is one thing you wish you had learned earlier as a grandparent? That the housework will wait. Now I enjoy every moment that I can with her. The dishes will still be there but you can never get the moments back that you wasted doing them when you could have been playing with her!

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma? Buy a good digital camera and start a Blog! It is a wonderful way to document all of the memories and to share them with family and friends. I wish I had started Amara’s when she was a baby.

Kc's lovely blog, Grandma Kc's Life in Amaraland, is, in her words, "a personal journal of all the fun we have being Amara's grandparents."