Grandparents | Pad Patter 9.10.22

[ArmyGrl]

Unfortunately for me, I never got to know my grandparents well.

On my Dad's side, my grandparents died when I was too young to remember them.

On my Mom's side, I remember meeting both my Grandfather and Grandmother. But, they lived in Ohio and we lived in Maryland. So, I only saw my maternal Grandparents during the summer, when we made an annual trip for the family gathering. My Grandfather passed when I was a child; and my Grandmother when I was 13 years of age.

I love seeing old photos of both sets of Grandparents...and hearing about them from family members. But as previously stated, I never really got to know any of them.

September 11th is Grandparent's Day. If you like, you are welcome to share memories of your Grandparents here.

What I remember of my maternal Grandfather is a kind, old man, sitting in his wood rocking chair on the front porch of his house. Rocking on the porch or deck is something I love to do too! And one can often find me doing this.

What I remember of my maternal Grandmother is "presence" - she had a strong spirit and filled a room. I remember homemade blackberry pies...made from scratch with berries the grandkids picked.

 

[bcgal00]

I don't remember my father's parents and my mom's dad passed away before I was born but I remember my grandma. She passed away in her mid 60's. I remember a tall thin woman with long red nails (she would spend hours on them). She was a chain smoker and always had a cigarette in her hands. She was a very strong independent woman, having supported her family after her husband died by being a dressmaker for a large department store at a time when most women didn't work. She could sew and knit. She was a great cook/baker and did a lot of canning. She sewed me a beach coverup out of towels when I was a kid and I kept that for many years until it fell apart. I wish she had lived until I became an adult but I'm happy to have had her for the years I did.

 

[dotcomkari]

I am extremely close to my grandparents on my mother's side. As a young child through highschool I spent every single weekend at their house. My grandmother literally was my best friend. We spoke daily on the telephone and if she did not hear from me she would think something was wrong and would send my grandfather over to check on me. *L*.. We had a very close knit bond. Throughout my adult hood even my grandparents had an important role in my life and .. it was them who came to my rescue when I became homeless after my divorce and allowed me to live at their cottage on the lake till I got back on my feet again.
My grandfather died in 2019 and it was extremely hard for me, I am still not quite the same. It feels like a huge part of my life is missing. Since than my grandmothers health has been failing and she has moved from her home into an assisted living home. She has dementia and is quite forgetful and often forgets small things and big things. Sometimes even who I am. While I visit her often (at least once a month if not more) and we still speak on the phone almost dail it isn't the same as it use to be. And I miss her dearly.

My other set of grandparents on my dads side ... my grandfather died before I was born.. and my grandmother and I were never super close. We spent time together but it wasn't the super close relationship I had with my other grandmother. She died in 2008.

I also had the chance to meet and have relationships with my great grandparents , my dad's mom's parents (Carey whom I am nemed after and Pearl) and than my mom's mom.. Vivian...
Both sets of these great grandparents died while I was in elementary age but I remember them quite fondly and they will hold special places in my heart

my children are blessed to have good relationships with their grandparents and great-grandparents. Even though my parents and I have a strained relationship my kids are quite close to my parents. Sadly my ex mother in law who I was extremely close to died shortlly after my divorice from her son. But my kids are now getting to know Eric's mom .. and she is a great stand in grandmother figure.. and of course my grandmother although she is loosing her memory has been a apart of my kids lives since they were born and they have had a lot of memories with her and my grandfather before he passed in 2019.

 

[HavaDrPepper]

I have many fond memories of my grandparents. All of them lived in the same town that I did. I was closer to my mom's parents than my dad's but only because I was one of 52 grandchildren on dad's side. On mom's side, I was 1 of 6. My first grandparent (mom's mother) died when I was 16 in 1971. My dad's parents died in 1982 (grandpa) and 1993 (grandma). My mom's dad was my last grandparent to pass in 1995.

Because of the size of Dad's family, all of the major holidays were spent with Mom's family. Dad's parents had an "open house" celebration during the Christmas holidays. Each family came when they could. We had no gift exchanges. Dad, Mom and I would always go to Christmas Eve service then go to my grandparent's house. For many years, it was just our family for those couple of hours. Then we spent Christmas Day with my mom's side of the family. Thanksgiving was also spent with her family as it was a tradition to go to her sister's house 90 minutes away from us. Grandpa and grandma would usually go with the 3 of us.

We attended church every Sunday and after the service, my parents, myself and my grandparents would go to a cafeteria style restaurant here in town. I have a fond memory of that as my Grandpa and I did something each and every time we went. I loved (still do) pickled beets but wasn't fond of the pickled eggs that were also on the dish you could get when going thru the line. So both Grandpa and I would get a plate of them. We sat next to each other. He let me eat his beets and he ate my eggs.

My grandpa ended up remarrying and spent over 25 years with his 2nd wife. They spent the winter in FL and welcomed all of their children/grandchildren whenever they wanted to visit. My parents and I went several times when I was in high school and I made a couple other trips down with friends. After my parents retired, they rented a trailer in the same park and I would go down and spend what little vacation time I had with them. I never considered my grandpa's 2nd wife my grandmother but she was special for all those years and she was a part of the family. A cousin that was only 7 when they married considered her his grandma. He didn't remember our grandma since he was only 4 when she died.

So, yeah. I have lots of special memories of my grandparents.

 

[amien1]

I am the oldest grandchild from both my mom & dad's side of the family. That means at one point- I had 6 grandparents (my mom's parents were divorced & remarried) and 5 great grandparents alive. My daughter was born before many had passed- so I have some wonderful photos & memories of many generations. Sadly, as time has marched on, I now only have 1 left- she's my mom's stepmom and has never been really close to the family- despite our efforts. I was really close with my dad's parents and miss them so much. I actually have a hummingbird tattoo in remembrance of my Nan.

My husband is super fortunate to still have both sets of his grandparents alive. He is closer to one set than the other, but we do see them all regularly & try to make as many memories as possible, as they are all starting to get to the age where they need more care.

My kids hit the grandparent jackpot. My parents (divorced & remarried) are all still alive & my husband's parents are super close to us (and the kids- they spoil them rotten.) We just had a scare this week. On Thursday, my father in law was on his motorcycle & hit by a driver who didn't see him and while thankfully he's alive- he is pretty banged up & still in the hospital. He had to have surgery on his neck (c6/7 was ruptured, but thankfully no paralysis) yesterday & came out of that okay. My husband is an only child- so we've been trying to do everything we can to support his mom so she can just be with him at the hospital. My kids are really wanting to go see him, but with covid guidelines still, they wont let them in to visit. SO- I'll take any prayers or good thoughts for his healing- it's going to be a marathon, but we're so grateful to still have him with us!

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Growing up, I was extremely close to my paternal grandmother (Granny). I would have lived her if I had a choice. I spent almost every weekend with her, and she'd always have my cousins over too. There were 4 of us about the same age.

My paternal grandfather died when I was 10 but he was cranky and we were all afraid of him. He was Granny's husband - what an odd couple, right?

I was the oldest child of my maternal grandparents, and I was my "Poppy's girl". He took me everywhere with him. Grandma was very much the socialite and I didn't become close to her until I was an adult. We became best friends then. Poppy was quite a character and I have funny/fond memories of some of our adventures. He was a horse trader/car trader/gambler and a fireman until he retired. I hung out at many firehouses and it was so much fun. All of them had "candy counters" and we got all the free candy that we wanted. We used to slide down the fire poles and eat lunch in their dining halls. It was really cool when they'd get a call, and the big doors would open and they'd all jump on the firetrucks to go to a fire. Poppy would yell, "go call your grandmother to come get you".

P.S. I knew I had a layout about Poppy - I just found it - I got a POP award for this!!

 

[michelepixels]

My dad's father left the family when my dad was 5. I barely knew his mother because he wasn't close to his family when I was growing up. My mom's father left her family before I was born; I met him once when I was around 9 and I remember nothing about it (except a photo). I only knew my mom's mom. And her mom too. My maternal great grandmother lived to the age of 99, when I was just turning 15.

What I remember most about my great grandma is the creakiness of her old house and the box of old toys she kept for visiting grandchildren. What I remember most about my grandma is her spunky self-sufficient personality. She only made it to 85, unfortunately, probably because of lifelong asthma.

 

[umyesh]

I knew three of my four grandparents well because we always lived close to them. I never met my dad’s dad because he died when my dad was 19 or 20.

My dad’s mom was very old and I remember her cute voice.

My mom’s dad was usually grumpy so I avoided him; her mom was the nicest though.

 

[IntenseMagic]

I am super envious of those who have really been able to get to know their grandparents, and I'm thrilled that my kids have been able to do that. My mom's parents died when I was under 4 and my dad's parents died when I was a tween. Unfortunately, I don't remember anything about my maternal grandparents. But, one of the fondest memories I have of my paternal grandmother is sitting on her front porch snapping green beans. I think I ate as many as ended up in the pot for cooking

 

[jk703]

I and my kids are lucky! My kids are in high school, and know 3 out of their 4 grandparents (My husband's Dad was not a part of his or our lives). They also have a great grandmother that they know fairly well!

I grew up with my 4 grandparents living in my hometown. I had them all up through college. They were the anchors for my growing up. I am immensely thankful for them. In general, they were wonderful, warm, funny, supportive and loving. My grandfather was a tough cookie, sometimes mean, very blunt, and a bit eccentric, but we still had a stilted, but good relationship. I think of him like a prickly porcupine - inside he is softer. I also had a great grandmother I got to visit and spend some time with over the years - She lived until she was 103, I believe. When she got older, and you wanted to hear stories, you had to bring KFC to get her talking!

My grandmother turned 100 this July. We had a party. She is doing well, and has all her capabilities. We have her use a wheelchair at times to lessen the chance of a fall. Here she is from her birthday party - and you can see she is a good sport!

One pic is of her with me/my boys, one is her being a ham with a smidge of rosé, a pup, and some silly glasses. Last one is her enjoying a taste of a baileys pudding shot! lol! She loved it and requested to bring a few back home, haha! My aunt was a little disapproving, but she just turned 100, so it was allowed!

 

[gonewiththewind]

All my grandparents have passed on.

My maternal grandfather passed before I was born, so I only know him from photos and stories. He was quite handsome. My maternal grandmother passed away in 2018. She was ornery and sassy and funny and an extremely hard worker. One of my favorite memories is a road trip we took about 10 months before she passed. We ended up seat dancing in the car to big band music. I loved seeing her shimmy her shoulders and grin at me. She was a nurse and worked in the "baby nursery" at our local hospital.

This was my grandfather when he was stationed in the Philippines during WWII.

This is Grandma in 2015 with my mom, me, my sister, and my daughter . . . 4 generations of women!

My paternal grandfather passed when I was 11. He was a strong man, a big man with a commanding presence. He wore overalls. I remember him always having some kind of treat stuck in the front pocket of his overalls. He also kept all kinds of sweet treats in the box freezer. I remember orange push ups most of all. My paternal grandmother passed away when I was 31. She taught me how to make scrambled eggs, how to enjoy drinking the juice from canned fruit cocktail, and how to pat someone to comfort them.

This is Big Daddy and Granny about 5 years before I was born, so pretty accurate as to how I remember them when I was little.

This is one of my last photos of my Granny. She was so sweet.