FIRST PUBLISHED MARCH 8, 2015

Happy Birthday to the silliest grandpa on earth! At least that's what our granddaughters would call him. They love their grandfather's goofy nature. He acts silly with them, and joins in their play without hesitation. The girls are his treasures and he absolutely relishes his time with them.

We both have a comical side, but Tom's is definitely a more active one. Mine is, shall we say, quieter. I am fond of putting funny captions on animal photos. A couple of years ago, Jain was reading The Blue Day Book For Kids where the author, Bradley Trevor Greive does that, too. She got tickled at a picture of a cat "breaking out some wild dance moves," then imitated it herself. Soon she was walking through the house in that pose, being totally silly, and chanting, "I'm the pwetty pwincess, I'm the pwetty pwincess," and making us all laugh. Soon Sofia joined her in a pose of her own and chanted, "I'm the cwazy queen, I'm the cwazy queen," then my goofy husband started marching around as the "kooky king." The girls wanted me to join in, but I preferred to be the audience member to this nutty performance. Eventually I acquiesced and became the "daffy duchess." This is my point. While I would prefer not to act out my silly side in such a demonstrative manner, Tom jumps right in when the girls are being goofy. He loves it and they love it. And they can never get enough! Even his hugs are never serious. He vibrates the girls in his embrace, which makes them giggle.

One thing Tom has always done, ALWAYS! — and yes, I'm using a superlative here because it's 100% true — is change the words to songs, and it drives me crazy. It is his not so humble opinion that his lyrics are better than those of the original song. Whatever. This obsession, I might add, has ruined several great songs for me, because now I can't hear them without thinking of his lyrics! He totally destroyed the endearingly lovely children's song "Winnie the Pooh" to the point that once when I sang it, our daughter blurted, "Those aren't the real words, Mommy!" Arrrrrggh! "YES, THEY ARE! Your father's lyrics are the wrong ones!" Naturally, from that point on, the wrong words were the only ones I ever heard. I'm not even going to reveal what those lyrics are. You'll cry.

Jain and Sofia love making up lyrics, too, and will eagerly sing along to all his "new and improved" songs, mostly to get MY goat, of course. In my defense, I'm not completely immune to this activity. I once made up lyrics to "Up On the Housetop," but I was delirious with pneumonia and a 104 degree temperature. (You do NOT want to know the revised words to that holiday classic, either.) Katie, 6 years old at the time, was quite concerned. "Daddy, I think there's something wrong with Mommy. She's making up words to a Christmas song!" If that had been Tom, his behavior would have seemed completely normal and he might not have received the immediate medical attention I got. Guess it was a good thing I was the one with pneumonia, huh?

I've determined with my brood I should never worry how our granddaughters will perceive our brand of silliness. As Sofia would say, "If you're weird, you're normal, and if you're normal, you're weird!" From the mouths of babes. Three years ago when Tom required C-PAP therapy for sleeping, we wondered how Jain would react when she saw the mask on him. I thought for sure she would be terrified at the sight of it with the long, elephantine hose coming out of his face. The first night of her visit she asked whether she could sleep on the floor next to me. We prepared her cushions and blankets and she lay down. I climbed into bed and we talked a bit while Grampy put on his mask. Then he leaned over to say "Goodnight, Jain," and she saw him for the first time with the mask. I braced, waiting for her scream, but she cracked up! And then we all started laughing hysterically. You have to understand that Jain has the best, most infectious laugh ever! Once she gets going, you laugh because she's laughing. Well, that broke the ice that year and I've never worried about her being afraid of how we look, or act. To the girls we're just a riot!

This goofy nature must be genetic. Our youngest granddaughter, Olivia, found Jain and Sofia quite the amusing duo. When they met her, Livi was a mere 6 months old. It was love at first sight for all three cousins! Jain and Sofia loved to make her laugh and we got the best recording of them pratfalling to the floor. Little Olivia laughed so hard at their antics she actually got red-faced and sweaty. It was just the best thing ever to hear her laugh! We can hardly wait to see what amuses the three of them when we're together this summer!

Laughter is good for the soul. It massages the liver and greatly improves your immune system. If, for no other reason than to be silly with your grandchildren, do it for everyone's health! So, go forth, good grandparents. Be silly, be nutty, be goofy, be ridiculous!

And above all, as the birthday boy says,

HAVE FUN!

FIRST PUBLISHED MARCH 1, 2015

It all began with Elastic Blastoff! "Huh? What's that?" I can hear you asking. No one knows, really. It's just something our daughter shouted out before she ran from the kitchen to where my husband sat to put on his shoes before going to work. Every time she yelled these words, Tom braced himself for what was coming as little Katie ran full speed and jumped on his back. We don't know to this day, and neither does she, the reason she chose the words "Elastic blastoff!" but it's a cherished and sweet memory of her childhood. Thankfully, for his 60+-year-old back, our granddaughters have never attempted to continue this tradition.

We have other made-up games, however, that have been passed down through the years with much delight and giggling — and more than a little competition. One is Apartment Baseball. This began when we lived in Atlanta and consists simply of trying to hit a pitched "ball" made of foil or crumpled-up paper with our hands while sitting in a recliner. It is not as easy as you would think to hit such a lightweight item! The beauty of the game is you can play ball IN the house and nothing gets broken.

The more competitive game is the Restaurant Quarter Game. Tom and I invented this one during a longer-than-usual wait for our food. I remarked, "Let's see if we can slide a quarter to each other without having it fall off the table!" At first the game was played by awarding a point to the player whose quarter slid just over the lip of the table, but not off. Soon we noticed that a lot of tables had a line that came before the actual edge. So now we award one point if the quarter goes over that line, two points if it goes just over the lip but not off the table. The player with the most points when the food is delivered wins.

This seemingly simple game takes a lot of skill. You have to know just how hard or easy to slide the quarter forward to get it just over the line or the edge of the table. More often than not, that slippery sucker will fly right off the table! And then you have to be quick enough to catch it so it won't land on the floor. Our granddaughters make the silliest faces when they play this game, and we can get rowdy quickly. Try keeping that enthusiasm to a reasonable level of noise! That said, please do NOT play this game in fine dining establishments. Be sure you play it only in family-friendly places. Common courtesy must prevail at all times. Naturally, if sliding the quarter makes enough noise to bother other diners, don’t play it.

The competition is in in trying to get the most points and in being the one to do so before the food comes to the table. But good sportsmanship prevails and we always finish a round with "Good game, everyone!"

Our granddaughters practically live at the pool when they visit. Some of their favorite sports are swimming and basketball, so we combine the two with a floating basketball game. Both girls are Lakers fans and Grampy likes the Celtics. This drives the three of them crazy, of course, since the Lakers and Celtics are age-old rivals. As we shoot baskets, Jain and Sofia pretend to be Kobe Bryant and he is Larry Bird. Personally, I'd prefer to be Air Jordan, but he's never invited to this gig, so I have to be a Celtics player, too. It's all in good fun as we try to best one another in a competitive but friendly, and very wet, game of hoops.

And speaking of swimming pool fun, not all games are competitive. Some just require you to be a good sport. Case in point is last summer's visit to our friends' pool in Georgia. As I relaxed on the steps just inside the shallow end, the girls thought it would be great fun to create a new hairstyle for me. They wet my hair, pretended to shampoo and then style it so very lovingly. Yeah, right! You can see from the pictures accompanying this blog how hilarious they thought I looked. Ah, grandparenting! You just never know what to expect. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

I add games to my summer visit binder every year, but the ones the girls invent are always the best and most entertaining. What games do you play with your grandchildren? Please share your stories with us. We'd love to hear from you! Remember, no matter how or what you play, the important thing, as Grampy says, is to

HAVE FUN!

FIRST PUBLISHED FEB. 22, 2015

My dad lived the Golden Rule and instilled in me and my siblings the importance of being of service to others. Long before the phrase "pay it forward" was part of the American lexicon, Daddy would often do things for his neighbors or friends without any of them discovering it was he who had performed the service or done the good deed. He never wanted or needed recognition or validation for his kind-heartedness. For him, this was the best way to exemplify the Golden Rule. His way of living and being has such a marvelous effect on people that it can ripple through the whole community. One of Daddy's favorite expressions is "Just Be," and if you add any of the virtues to the end of those two words that would be him! Just be kind, just be generous, just be loving, just be considerate, just be helpful ... JUST BE!

The Golden Rule can be found in the scriptures of all of the world's major religions. Most know it as "Do unto others as you would have others do unto you." In the Bahá'í Faith, it is stated as "Blessed is he who preferreth his brother before himself." When one reflects on the word preferreth, it is easy to see how being of service is of the utmost importance in leading a spiritual life. Soon Bahá'ís around the world will be celebrating Ayyám-i-Há, days set aside at the end of February specifically for giving and for being of service to others.

I think of the service projects my daughter and granddaughters will be doing the last days of this month. We Skyped with them this morning and were delighted to hear the many things they want to do for others. They are so excited about their service projects that they are enlisting the help of their friends for some of them, too! Recently, I shared a very long list of suggested service projects with them and these are the ones they are most eager to undertake, beginning during Ayyám-i-Há:

Sew pillowcases with inspiring messages and take them to orphanages

Walk the neighbors' dogs

Bake treats for firefighters

Visit nursing home residents, talk to them about their lives, write down their stories, play instruments for them, find out if any of them were musicians

Donate DVDs and/or CDs no longer watched to a children's hospital

Take food to a homeless shelter or volunteer in a soup kitchen

Ask elderly neighbors whether they need help with yard work or house work

Create artwork for hospitalized children to brighten their walls

Perform musical instruments for kids in hospitals

Babysit for free so neighbors or friends with children can have a date night

Offer free tutoring to students having trouble in school

Donate unused toys to pediatrician's or dentist's office

When I called my daughter later today, they were already engaged in walking a neighbor's dog! Our oldest granddaughter, Jain, has been helping her fellow students understand difficult subjects for some time now. Sofia will invariably rush to the aid of anyone who is injured or upset. When the girls were with us last summer, we stopped in to visit friends who were unable to attend our Bahá'í worship service. Jain and Sofia created a liturgical dance and wanted to perform it especially for them. It's plain to see they have been living the Golden Rule and will do so for the rest of their lives.

When they visit this summer, we will most definitely seek out ways for all of us to serve others. There will be a new addition to the family and I know an aunt and uncle who will really appreciate the help!

How are you and your grandchildren serving others? We would love to hear your stories! Happy Ayyám-i-Há to our Bahá'í family and friends! And to everyone, keep paying it forward and remember to JUST BE!

As Grampy says,

Have Fun!

FIRST PUBLISHED FEB. 15, 2015

We have become a mobile society, one in which very few folks live where they grew up. My husband and I are prime examples of that lifestyle, having lived in seven states in nearly 38 years of marriage. We've moved close to and away from both sets of parents, both joyously pleasing them when we enabled them to see their grandchildren and breaking their hearts when we moved. How then can I expect my own children to be living near us? In my mind I fully expect this to happen some day, I truly do. Yet, I know it probably never will, what with our son living on the East coast and daughter on the West. And cloning isn't a scientific possibility yet. Neither do we possess the superhero power of teleportation, darn the luck!

So, in the absence of everyone living in a family compound in an agreed-upon location (like that's ever gonna happen!), we have the bounty and blessing of texting, Skyping and FaceTime. Praise be to the technological angels on earth who made this possible! HOW did we ever live without it? I only wish we'd had these savvy ways of communication when I was younger. Oh, how I would have loved to see and talk to my grandparents when we lived at opposite ends of Ohio! And our parents would have enjoyed watching our children grow up when we didn't live close by.

We gave cell phones to our granddaughters (don't judge!) when they were in elementary school for the sole purpose of them being able to get in touch with parents and grandparents when they needed to. They have restrictions on usage and are both very responsible. Truly, Jain and Sofia would both rather be outside playing — unlike a lot of their peers — than on their cell phones 24/7. Often the girls will call us as they're walking home from school just to say hello or tell us about their day. We delight in these snippets of conversation and know that being able to talk with them connects us across the miles.

Technology isn't perfect, and often Skyping is problematic — the picture pixilates, we hear them but can't see them, they see us but can't hear us, the image freezes, there's not a good signal in the house, etc. — but we relish the moments we can get together this way. Today's children are very visual, and Skyping is right up their alley. Jain and Sofia love to tell us all about their lives in California. Their friends, school work and grades, orchestra, sports, showing us things they've made, family news, making silly faces — all of this gets shared during our Skyping sessions. We Skype with our youngest granddaughter, Olivia, too, but that time is spent more talking to our son and daughter-in-law. Livi is still a bit young to focus her attention on engaging in conversation, but we delight in watching her grow up, in seeing the benchmarks of development from sitting and crawling to walking and running, and delighting us now with her playtime activities.

FaceTime via cell phone is our alternate way of communicating with extended family. Personally, I'd rather Skype, since the computer screen is larger. But in a pinch, FaceTime will do nicely. My sister has been sending Olivia cell phone videos nearly every day since Christmas as her way to stay in touch — often with her poodles "speaking" as well. It's hysterical, especially when she does this with the app called My Talking Pet. (Trust me, this app will provide hours of fun for your grandchildren!) Seth says she loves getting these videos and has asked us to send some, too. Naturally, we oblige. In turn, we receive video clips of Olivia in action.

I urge new parents to send video clips and photos of your children to all the grandparents and relatives, especially those who are far away. It is their only way to watch the children grow up on a daily or weekly basis. Grandparents, if you ever wonder whether your grandchild will recognize you the next time you visit one another, sharing videos and communication via Skype or Facebook will eliminate that concern. Naturally, interacting in person is the best way to get to know one another. But the use of technology is the next best thing.

Above all, as Grampy says,

HAVE FUN!

FIRST PUBLISHED FEB. 8, 2015

WHAT to do when you need your grandchildren to be quiet or play quietly? Best to have some ideas of projects or activities that fit the bill.

Last summer I taught Jain and Sofia some very basic embroidery and hope to continue with that this year. Long ago my great-grandma taught me when I was their age, and I keenly felt her presence as the girls and I sat together on the couch repeating history. It was a sweet, tender moment and we were all proud of their first stitches!

My summer binder includes a Quiet Time section that includes the typical activities: playing computer games, reading books, working jigsaw puzzles, watching movies. Beyond that we do encourage them to try new things. I have a book titled Beautiful Art and made note of my favorite pieces. I asked both girls to do the same without letting each other know what they'd selected. The goal was to discuss which pieces of art we had each chosen and what we liked about them. This, for me, was a discovery of commonality vs. difference. Do we have the same taste in art? Why or why not? Which pieces did they choose that I didn't and what did they like about those? Unfortunately, we ran out of time to complete this activity last summer, and my curiosity demands we must return to it.

Researching art on the Internet is also a wonderful way to introduce them to artists other than ones they are learning about in school. Consider the sidewalk 3D chalk artist whose work looks so real you think you actually could fall into that crater he just drew! Pull up the works of Julian Beever, Kurt Wenner or Ellis Gallagher and you'll see what I'm talking about. Amazing!

Or have them check out the seemingly impossible works of Escher or the modern surrealism paintings of Rob Gonsalves. Escher's work is most likely covered in their school's art classes, but chances are they've never heard of Gonsalves. The beautiful way Gonsalves morphs images into one another is truly incredible!

Interest in anyone's art should be encouraged. Take your grandchildren to museums and art shows, introduce them to the many and varied forms of arts and crafts. Hang their artwork on your refrigerator until you can't see the door! Frame their creations, add them to a special scrapbook, display them on a shelf. Let them know you honor and cherish their artistic endeavors.

Our granddaughters' elementary school art classes have students not only study certain artists but attempt to reproduce their art, too. I wanted them to try the pointillist method of painting, so we bought some canvases and the girls each selected a photo to reproduce. Sofia chose a Christmas tree drawing and did a fine job dotting her painting with an unused pencil eraser. Jain has been sketching fashion designs for several years and demonstrated an impressive talent reproducing a painting of a rose totally freehand! She was quite meticulous and methodical in her process. First she drew her rose on paper, then realized she had to repeat it on the canvas and worried she wouldn't draw it as well as she had on the paper. Once she had the rose drawn on the canvas, she painstakingly dotted it with the ends of different size dowels and toothpicks. The result was WOW! I never knew Jain's ability to draw was so spot-on accurate.

Even I got in on the action. By no stretch of the imagination am I a painter (well, maybe on rocks), but I've always thought pointillism surely must be one of the easiest methods of painting. Allow me to disabuse you of that notion. It. Is. Not. Yet, I had a painting in mind I wanted to try and decided to give it a go. The original image is of three female figures that appear to be floating upright in midair. I managed to get one figure painted and decided that was enough. It actually looks OK and I would be willing to try this method again — after I take some professional lessons. At the very least we had fun trying our hand at this method, and all our work is proudly displayed in my daughter's house.

There are many, many quiet time activities you can offer your grandchildren. As I mentioned in last week's blog post, creative writing is a wonderful way for them to consult on a topic, flesh out the details and type up the story. Who knows? It might become a book one day!

Putting on headphones and listening to music is another excellent way to practice quiet and creative solitude. Jain shares a love of classical music with me and plays the viola. I found a series of vintage videos on YouTube titled Young Peoples Series with Leonard Bernstein I know she is going to love!

Engage another part of their brains by handing them a sketchpad and having them draw to the music. Give them music to which they can choreograph a dance, then ask them to share their dance moves with everyone. Buy hand puppets and have them create and put on a puppet show. Let them play educational games on the computer. Encourage reading with a summer reading list (they probably were given one at the end of the school year they need to work on anyway).

Meditation and prayer at any time of the day or evening are undeniably among the most wonderful ways to practice quiet time. Going within, quieting the mind, connecting with a higher power — all are excellent exercises for uniting body, mind and soul. Experiencing meditation and prayer with your grandchildren is one of the best things you will ever do together. Please don't miss out on any and all opportunities to do so.

Whatever quiet activity you and your grandchildren choose, it's best if it can be accomplished on their part with very little supervision, ideally with none. They will learn to fend for themselves and respect their elders' need for quiet at the same time. Ask them to come to you quietly for help if they need it. Likewise, if you need to interrupt your grandchildren during their quiet time, be equally respectful of them.

And, above all, as Grampy says,

HAVE FUN!

FIRST PUBLISHED FEB. 1, 2015

The holidays are over and my thoughts are once again veering toward the upcoming summer binder in preparation of our granddaughters' month-long visit. I have written about the Activities, Arts & Crafts and Creative Thinking sections in previous posts. This week I want to reflect a bit more on Creative Thinking. It is vital to the intellectual growth of each of us to nurture our minds, think outside the box and delve into problem solving, as these are skills that will benefit us immensely no matter what age we are.

Our summer binder thus far includes activities to enhance detecting skills, let us ponder life's mysteries and big questions, encourage creative writing, give us opportunities to find out more about one another and discover ways to make a difference in the world. I have already shared with you how much Jain and Sofia love answering the Deep Thoughts questions and how much we relish their answers. We highly recommend gleaning questions for your own children and grandchildren from myriad sources on the Internet, and in books and games. Following are some of our favorites:

BOOKS

Unplugged Play by Bobbi Conner

The Book of Questions and The Kids' Book of Questions by Gregory Stock

GAMES

Would You Rather?

You Gotta Be Kidding!

Table Topics

Love It! Hate It!

Gather Round: a Restaurant Game

Playing detective is one of Sofia's favorite things to do. She loves to solve murder mysteries and tries to figure out who committed the crime before the police do. One of her favorite shows at the moment is "Murdoch Mysteries," set in the late 1800s in Toronto. I supplement this curiosity with photos from the Internet and call it "Camouflaged Critters." These are photos of well hidden animals in natural surroundings. They can be seen, but you have to look really hard to find them. We go a bit deeper with this activity by helping them look for camouflaged critters on our hikes or in the neighborhood. This not only makes them more aware of their surroundings but aids in developing a deeper concern for saving the environment. If you want to see the kinds of photos I'm talking about, do a search for a cat hidden in a tree trunk or horned adders beneath sand. That last one is hidden so well it might make you wary of watching your step!

Viewing an image on the Internet of a single red leaf on concrete, I was amazed how it tricked my eyes into seeing it as a pair of lips. What else, I wondered, could be seen in nature or in objects that aren't really there? So, last summer I presented a challenge to the girls to be nature detectives and look at items differently. We saw lots of faces on tree trunks. Sofia spotted a scary face in a backpack. Pretzel chips became a head with two eyes and an O-shaped mouth. A bear-like animal appeared on a bathroom tile. And Jain stared at a spot on a restaurant coffee pot before realizing it looked like an Indian girl kneeling. (You can see these images in the slide show above.)

This year I will have them become art detectives. Norman Rockwell's paintings are great because there is usually a lot going on in each one. The goal is to look intently at a painting and try to memorize as much as possible in one minute. Questions are then asked about certain details to see if they can be recalled. Games like this help children gain an appreciation of art and also enhance memory, make them more aware of their surroundings and emphasize attention to detail — especially useful skills if one intends to become a detective!

Creative writing runs rampant in this family. One way I like to encourage this is to present Jain and Sofia with a ton of pictures, either from magazines or the Internet, and have them write a story based on those photos. Last November I showed them photos of trees, things made from trees, treehouses, hobbit houses and gorgeous nature scenes I gleaned from the Internet. I was thinking of writing a story with them called "People of the Trees," but decided to have the two of them write it together instead. Jain and Sofia are both still caught up in mystical tales (think Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, et al) and I can't wait to read their magical story! If they haven't started or completed it by the time they're here, it will be a great project to do during quiet time while Grampy and I are working.

As far as making a difference in the world, we often choose from the Deep Thoughts list questions that take us in that direction. We also focus a lot on developing virtues and recognizing them in others. I cannot say enough about the Bucket Filling books by Carol McCloud and urge you to check them out on her website at www.bucketfillers101.com or at amazon.com. They encourage positive behavior and show children the effect actions and words have on others. The bucket is a metaphor for your heart or soul. Positive behavior is bucket filling, which makes you feel good about yourself. Negative behavior is bucket dipping, makes others feel bad and is something we don't want to encourage. To make this idea a bit more concrete, I bought four little $1 buckets, printed out virtues on pieces of paper and cut them into individual words. After discussing the virtues and making sure the girls understood what each one meant, everyone in the family was asked to look for opportunities to recognize them in each other. If, for example, they noticed someone being kind the word "kindness" was placed in that person's bucket. The goal is to be on their best behavior every day so their own buckets will be filled, as well as try to fill everyone else's bucket. It's so uplifting to know how much they love this activity!

Incidentally, our friend, children's singer and songwriter Red Grammer, has collaborated with the author and created a CD to accompany one of the Bucket Filling books. We encourage you to add these wonderful resources to your parenting and grandparenting inventory!

I close this post with a reminder to balance the more serious creative thinking activities with those that create laughter and goofiness. Jain and Sofia beg to play the "telephone game" and crack up when the last person reveals the message that was whispered down the line and it ends up completely different from what was originally said.

For pure silliness that often erupts into gales of hilarious laughter, be sure to have Mad Libs on hand! Not only do these time-tested gems improve and vary the use of nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs, but you won't be sorry by the sheer delight they give everyone. Our granddaughters get the biggest kick from reading the completed stories and are often laughing so hard they can hardly get the words out. The stories that make them laugh the most get a star at the top of the page so they can find them more easily to read again.

Whether you're participating in meaningful conversations with your young charges or being completely goofy, remember, as Grampy says, HAVE FUN!

FIRST PUBLISHED JAN. 25, 2015

I, actually we — my granddaughters, daughter and I — have just recently collaborated and written the first draft of a book inspired by a well-loved teddy bear purchased from an antique store.

Last summer when I took my granddaughters Jain and Sofia antiquing, they spotted a little brown teddy bear right before the store closed. Fell in love with him immediately! What a mess it appeared to be, too. Fur all matted, stuffing no longer firm and plump, and a huge button sewn in place of one of its original eyes. I thought it looked pretty funny, but the girls loved how he — the bear was most decidedly a boy in their minds — was so perfectly imperfect! And, of course, they insisted he absolutely had to come home with them because he needed someone to love him again. They couldn't stand the thought of him sitting on a dusty antique store shelf all lonely and forlorn. Naturally, soft-hearted grandma that I am, I quite agreed, and this lonely little bear was lonely no longer.

On the way home in the car, the girls' minds were whirring, trying to imagine just how old their new friend was. They wondered about his past life, all the places he had called home, what the children were like who had played with him. The tale started to write itself when Jain and Sofia gave him a name and began to weave his life story. As they figured he was quite an old bear, they began his story several decades ago and gave him names assigned to him by his first, second, third and even fourth owners. I helped them flesh out the stories of each family and all the adventures and escapades he had with their children. It was decided his time with the fourth owner was when he acquired his button eye and floppy, worn out appearance. I asked the girls what they would name him now. They remarked how it looked like he'd taken a few falls in his life and appropriately named him Geronimo. For isn't that what children shout when they pretend to jump from something? I agreed it was a strong and proper name for him.

When I visited my daughter and granddaughters in November, we worked on the story some more. Through December we finalized the details, consulting via email and phone calls. The girls got a good laugh out of some of the verbiage I used, and were puzzled by words or expressions they'd never heard. So we wrote and rewrote until the story sounded just right. The beauty of it is they looked at it from a child's viewpoint, which in turn helped me understand how to write for children.

Our daughter, Katie, posed Geronimo for pictures we needed to illustrate our story and my husband laid out the photos and text to make it book-ready. A quick trip to an office supply store and, voila!, we had a covered, 5x7 spiral-bound book for about $4! Our labor of love was complete and a copy was sent immediately to our son's little daughter, Olivia, as Jain and Sofia wanted her to have the story in book form as their gift to her for her second birthday.

When I wrote the acknowledgements page, it occurred to me how often family members or family stories intertwine with the tale we had created. Some names given to characters in the book are actual names of people in our extended family. Certain mannerisms and characteristics of family members came alive in the telling. Even the name Geronimo is significant in that the girls live near a street called Jeronimo Road. Their mama had named one of her teddy bears Brumbelow after a street near where we once lived. I asked Jain about the street name connection, and she admitted that was, indeed, partly why she chose the name Geronimo. Children will ask what your childhood was like, they will remember it, and, if you're lucky, they will use your stories in their own!

I am now searching for an illustrator in hopes of getting the book published and available for purchase. It has been an exciting endeavor and one that I hope to continue, with another children's book in the works!

I urge you, gentle readers, to create treasures like this with your children and grandchildren. Watching your child's enthusiasm as you take interest in their fantasy world, telling and creating stories together, and then believing they're worthy to be published is such a rewarding experience for everyone involved! And having them turn those projects into a labor of love for someone else is a treasure that will sit on your heart forever and make you so proud to be their grandparents!

FIRST PUBLISHED JAN. 18, 2015

Last week's post revealed that we often engage our granddaughters in meaningful conversations. As I put the summer binder together for 2014, I gleaned from books and the Internet several questions to stimulate their minds. Their answers were often quite revealing, and at times surprising. The answer to the question about what country they would like to visit was among the many that startled us. As you learned in my most recent post, Jain wants to visit Greece because of her interest in mythology and Sofia wants to see France since she fully intends to get married one day beneath the Eiffel Tower. The choice of countries was not as surprising as the reasons. Mythology and marriage! Who knew?

I call this part of my summer binder "Deep Thoughts" and wanted to share with you here some of the more intriguing questions. I do recommend books such as "The Book of Questions" by Gregory Stock and travel games that provide interesting questions (there are many!) from which to create your own list. Be careful, though, as some of the questions in books and games can be mine fields and not age appropriate! Here are some we found most fascinating to discuss:

What would your super power be and what would you do with it?

How do you want to be remembered?

What is one thing you would most like to change about the world?

How will you make the world a better place with your career?

What is the most creative thing you've ever made or done?

Name three things you will NEVER do no matter what.

Think about your favorite book/song/movie. Why did it make you feel so good?

Time travel has just become possible and you want to try it. What time period do you choose and where do you go?

You have an opportunity to build the tree house of your dreams. What will it look like inside and out?

Have you ever been bullied? If yes, how did you handle it?

You've created a formula that will kill all tobacco plants and put an end to smoking, and you're going to make sure that happens. Will anything make you change your mind?

If you and someone else could magically become one another, with whom would you trade?

Are you happy to do something nice for someone else without anyone knowing what you did or that it was you that did it?

If you found change that isn't yours in a soda machine, what would you do with it?

A little aside about those last two questions, if you'll allow me to brag a bit. My father, throughout his life, has done many things for others without desire for recognition. He is an amazing, loving and remarkable father, grandfather and great-grandfather who has instilled in each of us the desire to live the Golden Rule. As to the last question, when our son was young and did, indeed, find change in a soda machine, he walked back into the grocery store and said to a cashier, "I found these coins in the soda machine outside." She looked at him, not quite believing what she was hearing, and said, "Well, honey, you can keep it. That money is not ours." Seth looked at her, plunked down the coins and said, "Well, it's not mine, either." How's that for honesty? We were so proud of him!

The list of questions is endless! What makes this even more fun is when the children turn around and ask the adults the same questions. Look out! Be ready for it because curious minds want to know what you're thinking, too! The beauty of it is you will learn so much about one another that your relationship with your children and grandchildren will be so much deeper. Here's wishing all of you Deep Thoughts!

FIRST PUBLISHED JAN. 9, 2015

It's a new year, a time most people spend reflecting on how their lives can improve, be better, be healthier, be more financially secure, be happier. Once you are a parent, and again when you become a grandparent, these thoughts widen to include your children and grandchildren. Their futures become an everyday, almost consuming, concern.

As I pondered what to write about for this second blog of the Gregorian year, I found myself doing just that: Wondering what the future will be like for my three granddaughters and the grandchild on the way. Naturally, we fret over the current state of affairs in the world and worry what fates await them in it. At the same time, their curiosity, their hunger for knowledge, their desire to make the world a better place gives us hope that, indeed, they can make that happen.

Our daughter's girls are two such bright lights on this planet. They are full of wonder, imagination and creativity. Tom and I often engage Jain and Sofia in deep discussions about their hopes and aspirations. We observe what they like to do now and try to channel those interests into possible career paths — acknowledging, of course, that children often change their minds as they grow and develop new interests. If you ask thought-provoking questions, you are mining a treasure trove, so be prepared for some gems of answers!

Our conversations often become "Ah ha!" moments, as Jain put it last summer. During one of our "Deep Thoughts" discussions, we asked, "If you could go anywhere in the world, what country would you most like to visit?" Jain, who has a deep love of mythology, immediately piped up, "Greece!" This startled me, as I never knew she wanted to go there, but also because I have always wanted to go to the coast of Greece, where all those beautiful white houses dot the landscape against that achingly beautiful blue sea. So going to the Greek coast was yet another thing we have in common. Or so I thought. Jain said, "Oh, no, Dandy. I want to go to Athens, because that's where all the mythology stories happened!"

Further discussion about Athens and mythology ensued, which led us to our "Ah ha!" moment. Jain has, since early childhood, wanted to be a fashion designer. She sews clothes for her dolls by hand and draws a multitude of fashion designs in her sketch pads. All. The. Time. She intends to go to college, possibly to major in music, but also has expressed a desire to attend a fashion design school. As her grandmother, I am fully aware of how cutthroat the fashion industry is. While I don't want to dissuade her from a fashion education and/or career, I do want her to know there are options in that field. I said, "You know, Jain, with your love of fashion design AND mythology, you could easily blend the two and specialize in designing and making costumes for period-piece plays and movies." Well, her eyes lit up and she declared that a great idea! She was all excited and proclaimed to her mom, "You know, Dandy and I had an 'Ah ha!' moment while I was there," and proceeded to tell her all about her career possibilities.

Her sister, Sofia, wants to go to Paris. She has held a fascination with the Eiffel Tower since toddler-hood for reasons unknown to anyone, even herself. Her attraction to it remains a mystery, but she insists one day she will hold her wedding beneath it. We tell her, "Go for it, Sofia!"

Sofia also loves to be in the kitchen, and baked cookies last summer with minimal assistance from me. At one point, she wanted to be a food artist and might still do that one day, but her recent interests are in solving murders. She loves watching all the CSI-type programs on television and tries to figure out who the killer is long before the show is over. We talked with her about forensic pathology as a career. And while she found that interesting she's far more fascinated with becoming a forensic scientist or a detective, going out in the field and collecting clues and helping bring the killer to justice. Perhaps she can blend her interest in detective work with a culinary education in France!

These kinds of revelations are fodder for guiding a child's growth and development and helping them become the best person they can possibly be. When Jain was 8 years old, she arranged my refrigerator magnets into the phrase I AM THE DAWN OF POSSIBLE. Eight years old! We were astounded at just how deep that thought was at her age. Sofia's favorite saying is LET YOUR SPIRIT BE FREE. These two are going places! And we, as their grandparents, are so happy to be included in the journey.

I'll end this post with a quote from the Bahá'í Writings that expresses better than I ever can why all children are so deeply valued and why we must instill in them the virtues and attributes they need to succeed in life and become magnificent human beings:

Children are the most precious treasure a community can possess, for in them are the promise and guarantee of the future. They bear the seeds of the character of future society which is largely shaped by what the adults constituting the community do or fail to do with respect to children. They are a trust no community can neglect with impunity. An all-embracing love of children, the manner of treating them, the quality of the attention shown them, the spirit of adult behavior toward them — these are all among the vital aspects of the requisite attitude.