Monday, September 7, 2009

Being a Grandparent.....


Mak Tok with cucu and cicit on her birthday

I got this posting from another close friend of mine a former high court judge. He must be laughing his head off reading the lines and nodding in agreement. As a grandparent he knows the subject matter better but I guess soon every one of us will face the reality if we live long enough.

On one occasion in Langkawi we were having dinner at a seafood restaurant hosted by a former Chief of the Navy. His grandson was there on his lap and giving all the orders. Ohh my God I wonders how he tolerated the grandson antics that including asking him to take him for a walk in the middle of the dinner. He just smiled and said he could easily command the whole fleets of the Malaysian Navy but when it came his grandson he just lose control and command. That little guy is the Admiral and in full charge of both the grandpa and grandma.

So let’s enjoy the rest of the observations on what grandparents are! It will be a good laugh and away from the messy political fronts that invading our lives.
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Being a Grandparent...
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1. She was in the bathroom, putting on her makeup, under the watchful eyes of her young granddaughter, as she'd done many times before. After she applied her lipstick and started to leave, the little one said, 'But Gramma, you forgot to kiss the toilet paper good-bye!' I will probably never put lipstick on again without thinking about kissing the toilet paper good-bye!!
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2. My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, '62.' He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, 'Did you start at 1?
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3. After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. Finally, she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, 'Who was THAT?'
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4. A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: 'We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods.' The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in. At last she said, 'I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!'
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5. My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?' mentally polished my halo and I said, 'No, how are we alike?'' You're both old,' he replied.

6. A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. 'What's it about?' he asked. 'I don't know,' she replied. 'I can't read.

7. I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me and was always correct. It was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying, 'Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!'
8. When my grandson Melvin and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects.. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, 'It's no use Grandpa. Now the mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights.'

9. When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingl replied, 'I'm not sure.' 'Look in your underwear, Grandpa,' he advised. 'Mine says I'm four to six.'

10. A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, 'Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today.' The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. 'That's interesting,' she said, 'how do you make babies? 'It's simple,' replied the girl. 'You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'.'

11. Children's Logic: 'Give me a sentence about public servant,' said a teacher. The small boy wrote: 'The fireman came down the ladder pregnant.' The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. 'Don't you know what pregnant means?' she asked. 'Sure,' said the young boy confidently. 'It means carrying a child.'

12. A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. 'They use him to keep crowds back,' said one child. 'No,' said another, 'He's just for good luck.' A third child brought the argument to a close. 'They use the dogs,' she said firmly, 'to find the fire hydrants!'
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WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT? (Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)
Grandparents are a lady and a man who have no little children of their own. They like other people's.

A grandfather is a man and a grandmother is a lady!

Grandparents don't have to do anything except be there when we come to see them. They are so old they shouldn't play hard or run. It is good if they drive us to the shops and give us money. When they take us for walks, they slow down past things like pretty leaves and caterpillars.They show us and talk to us about the colors of the flowers and also why we shouldn't step on 'cracks.' They don't say, 'Hurry up.' Usually grandmothers are fat but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums out.

Grandparents don't have to be smart.They have to answer questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?' When they read to us, they don't skip. They don't mind if we ask for the same story over again. Everybody should try to have a grandmother, especially if you don't have television because they are the only grownups who like to spend time with us. They know we should have snack time before bed time, and they say prayers with us and kiss us even when we've acted bad.

A 6-YEAR-OLD WAS ASKED WHERE HIS GRANDMA LIVED. 'OH,'' HE SAID, ''SHE LIVES AT THE AIRPORT, AND WHEN WE WANT HER, WE JUST GO GET HER. THEN WHEN WE'RE DONE HAVING HER VISIT, WE TAKE HER BACK TO THE AIRPORT.''

GRANDPA IS THE SMARTEST MAN ON EARTH! HE TEACHES ME GOOD THINGS, BUT I DON'T GET TO SEE HIM ENOUGH TO GET AS SMART AS HIM!

It's funny when they bend over; you hear gas leaks, and they blame their dog.
Send this to other grandparents, almost grandparents, or heck, send it to everyone! It will make their day.

9 comments:

Pak Idrus said...

Jaff, Grand kids are a bonus for folks in their golden age. We have five and two are already in college. They are such fun to have around.

Have a nice day.

NanaDJ said...

Dato,
You are not a grandparent yet, once you are one you will know the difference. I told myself that i will not be so goo goo ga ga like other grandmas and grandpas. But once I held him I was hooked so was my other half. So much so, now, we will only go out at night if someone is at home with him (he is 8 years old!). My other half refused to go overses with me recently because dia tak sampai hati nak tinggal cucu. And yet the mother has no qualms about flying all over the world for her assignments and the father is based in Jakarta!The other half and I does the school and tuition run as well.And we thought we could retire, lead a leisurely life and rest.

Pak Zawi said...

Dato' Jaff,
I am a grandfather with 8 grandchildren. We pamper the grandchildren because we thought we didn't pamper their parents enough when they were under our care. We were constarined by financial limitation too back then. So it is like making up for what we didn't do to their parents.

jaflam said...

Slm Pak Idrus,
It’s true they are pengubat rindu dan penawar kesunyian especially those not so mischievous ones hehee. Without them the life cycle is incomplete.

jaflam said...

Salam NanaDJ,
Thanks for dropping by and your grandchildren are very lucky to have both of you, caring grandparents. I guess I will be the same when I had one, even now I am very reluctant to leave the children on their own. Most of the time when my wife traveled overseas I will stay back to keep the children company. The same thing goes when I traveled... perhaps when they are old enough and independent we will change the style.

We have four kids and two in school while the elder two in university. Rasa tak puas jaga mereka lagi.

jaflam said...

Slm Pak Zawi,
I think the children and grandchildren needs all the love that we can give them otherwise they may seek wrong traits from others.

It is very true now when both working parents have very little quality time with them. The presence of grandparents to fill in this vital gap will ensure that they grow up with sufficient love and cares.

Ydiana said...

Hi DJ

For a while, I thought you are becoming a grandparent already...lol. Expecting one soon, maybe? Hehe..

jaflam said...

Hai Ydiana,
Good to see you again. It will be a while before i joined the club but then no harm learning early. Quite interesting phase of life i suppose.

mamasita said...

Dear Dato'..
I must ask my son to now terus nikah and not tunang2 stuff.
I can't wait to have grandchildren!!

My eldest dah ada calun tapi shes still not ready for matrimonial duties..ahh kena paksa dia cepat kawin lah! hehe