P.S. A Column On Things

Granddaughter: Sharing/Calling

I love both my grandchildren, but to be honest it is easier to write about a five-year-old than a 22-month-old who can say two-word sentences. Having said that, there are at least two new behaviors worth recording.

The first is an almost daily request for a video call with us, her grandparents. Some days, she refuses to eat until she gets the call.

That’s something a child couldn’t have asked for 50 years ago. In fact, with the price of long-distance being what it was in those days, a child was unlikely to get to speak to physically distant grandparents more than a few times a year.

Once the phone call commences, she immediately starts “sharing” her food: a sip of milk, a graham cracker, some yogurt are offered to the screen and loudly consumed on the other end.

This is not just telephonic; she does the same thing in person. With non-food items, she’ll share but then immediately take them back.

Grandson: Predicting Events

We are reading him The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Once again, he is demonstrating skill beyond his years. He asked me if the farmers would defeat the fox. I said “the book is called The Fantastic Mr. Fox, not The Fantastic Farmer Bunce , so the fox will probably win.” Two days later he repeated the exact same sentence to his grandmother.

This is a First Grade standard in California that he is already grasping: “Confirm predictions about what will happen next in a text by identifying key words.”

More astounding to me was when he asked her to read the last page of the book first. When I was only a little older than he is now, it was my common practice, when reading a novel, to read the last page so I wouldn’t be concerned about who lived, who died, who won, and who lost.

Grandson: Figures of Speech

I am having a great time teaching my grandson about figures of speech. One tool is the Gummi Bears TV series his mother and aunt watched decades ago when they were children.

The writers of the show revel in showing literal interpretations of figures of speech. “That should dampen his enthusiasm,” one character says of the bad guy, who is being doused.

“How about you go for a spin,” another says, as he spins a hapless character around. I feel sure that my grandson, 5, is getting the drift, as he now brings figures of speech to me, or points them out when he hears them in conversation or in a story.

Grandkids: Granddaughter: Combining Words

She is now combining words. Her brother got balloons for his birthday from Aaji, who she calls Aiya. She looked at them and said “Aiya boon.” Her baby doll is "my baby." Her aunt is Maushi when grownups say it; she now calls her her MuShu.

Grandkids: My Grandson Reads

He loves knock-knock jokes and loves “reading” his joke books, which he can pretend to do since he has them memorized, just like he has memorized The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, which he “read” in class.

 

Grandkids: Grains

My pre-Kindergarten grandson and I were discussing Chex cereals the other day, when he said, “Wheat, rice and corn are all grains.” What I want to know is how someone who is five years old knows that.

My Granddaughter: Infatuated

At this moment she is infatuated with Ajji and Abba (grandparents) She says Abba, Abba, Abba, or Ay-ah, Ay-ah, Ay-ah (her best effort at Ajji ) even though her mom shows her pictures of us. She insists she will either not eat breakfast or not get dressed until she sees us in a video call. It is fun and funny, for us anyway. We appreciate the obsession, since we know you’ll outgrow it.

She also just learned to say poop, because she was being asked about her diarrhea.

My Granddaughter: Happy Baby

As she grows older, she is constantly smiling and laughing. I know every grandparent sees themselves in their grandchildren, but I find this characteristic of hers encouraging. I have been a bubbly, happy optimist my entire life. Everyone who knew me as a baby always told me that I was the happiest baby they had ever known. That worked out well for me. I hope it works out well for her.

Reading to my Grandson

We are reading  The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Once again, he is  demonstrating intelligence beyond his  years. He asked me if the farmers would defeat the fox. I said “the book is called The Fantastic Mr. Fox, not the Fantastic Farmer Bunce, so the fox will probably win.” Two days later he repeated the exact same sentence to his grandmother.

More astounding to me was when he asked her to read the last page of the book to him. When I was only a little older than he is now, it was my common practice, when reading a novel, to read the last page so I wouldn’t be concerned about who lived, and who died and who won, and who lost . I’ve gained some self-control as I’ve grown older, plus a lot of fiction authors now put a deceptive last page on their book to thwart people like the boy I was.

Napa Valley Christmas Wine Train

The Napa Valley Wine Train runs year-round in Napa Valley and is a pricy step into the past, when railroads were railroads, and the food served on linen in the lavishly appointed dining cars was a pleasant complement to a rail  journey.

The Wine Train runs a special Christmas edition, departing from the nicest railroad station in America. Free pictures with Mr. and Mrs. Claus, hot chocolate and cookies, a visit from Santa himself, Christmas carols from a Dickens-themed group of carolers, a children’s menu and gourmet dining with wine for the adults are some of the features. My five-year-old grandson liked it so mulch he says he wants to do it every year. Probably not, but I wouldn’t mind going back some year. You might enjoy it too.