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In Praise Of Our Grandkids

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 11, 2009

Grandchildren are the elixir of life. Their voices on the phone and their e-mail messages are magical, transforming a rainy day into one of glorious sunshine.

Della, 11, and Max, 6, live 500 miles from our home. But just as the Trans Atlantic Cable opened reciprocal doors between Europe and America, so has their new computer forged a vital link between them and us.

From our own experience and from what I gather from friends, little children don't relish long phone conversations. So telephone-talk with out-of-town-grandparents is usually short and sweet.

But once they learn to read, write and spell, the computer offers them a two-fer. Write letters, send cards, puzzles and math problems to grandparents, and guess what happens? You get mail back almost instantly! Wow! What a great deal - for both of us.

It all began with Della's first note on her new computer. "Dear Grandma Judy and Poppa Oscar, you are my second emailee! Please write me back soon. I have to brush my teeth and go to bed now (smiley face attached). Stay cool, Della."

To which Poppa Oscar replied, "Hi Della, it was wonderful to hear from you. We'll try to call you on the phone this Friday after you get home from school. In the meantime, here is a math problem for you. (She loves math.) If 52 is divided by 6, and the remainder is then divided by 3, what is the new remainder? By the way, I am thinking about getting a Nintendo DS for myself. We senior citizens can't let you kids get to have all the fun. I am interested in using Flash Focus and Brain Age. Are you familiar with these? Also, I just started taking keyboard lessons last Thursday (she takes piano lessons, too). Maybe you can teach me a few things when we see you next month."

The thought of teaching her grandfather really appealed to Della, and her e-mails to him since have begun, "Dear DS Man." They have opened the door to a wonderful new world of communication.

And I received a special phone call from Max. Very tentatively, he began, "Grandma Judy, I'm doing a survey for my class at school and I need to know two things."

"Of course, Max," I responded. "What do you need to know?"

"What is your favorite fruit, and what is your favorite vegetable?" he asked. Thinking for a minute, I responded apples and corn.

"Okaaay," he said slowly, and I could see him painstakingly writing down what I told him using his newly acquired spelling and writing skills. Participating in his school project was the best part of my week. Hearing him learn and sharing his world linked us in a special way.

There is no better tonic for what ails me than my grandchildren. They give me love, energy and best of all, hope for the future of the world.

Judy Kramer can be reached by e-mail at JudyandOz@tampabay.rr.com.

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