Enjoying a weekend of grandparenting
Had a great opportunity in the wonderful world of grandparenting last weekend.
With our children having all moved away we don’t have the opportunities to see our 11 grandchildren as often as we would like. But this recent weekend brought us together to honor the oldest of our grandchildren, and the youngest.
We gathered to celebrate the fifth birthday of Hudson Wilhelm, the son of our youngest child Ryan and his wife Meredith, and in the same weekend honor our oldest grandchild Jack Schaeffer, the son of our daughter Amy and her husband Jim, for graduating from Denison University.
Grandchildren have learned to appreciate each other
While the two are 17 years apart in age, there are some similarities.
Both are full of life, great at communicating when the moment calls for it and willing to take on the next challenge.“Huddy” and his sister Madeline, now 7, joined the family several years after our first nine grandchildren all came in just a seven-year period time.
Maddy — who is often quietly engrossed in some entertainment ― loves to sit with Grandma and tackle the latest opportunity to do some art or craft project but has said on a few occasions that she doesn’t necessarily like sports. That doesn’t keep her from joining the game at the right opportunity — and often leading the way.
Huddy — who is a walking bundle of energy ― loves to lead the charge into any sport that might be available at the moment. He loves to take on the challenge (sometimes, the challenge of being told “no”). A touch of his personality can be seen in the fact that a few months ago when someone said he was 4years old, he quickly pointed out that he was 4½.
Despite their basic differences, they are great buds who can quickly stir the pot of activity.
Oldest of grandchildren still play family games
This recent weekend put them in a bit of heaven as four of the older grandchildren — Jack and his siblings Ella, Colin and Danny — were on hand to join the activities.
From playing cornhole to providing the energy for the swing, from trying out Huddy’s new toys to performing Maddy-led dances to classic tunes like the Macarena and the Chicken Dance, there was no lack of activity.
The dancing started with Maddy demonstrating some steps she had learned in class and grew from there. Huddy was particularly excited when she brought out the long flowing dance ribbons to add to the occasion. Lots of possibilities for a 5-year-old, you know.
I’ve got to admit that the dancing talents on display covered a wide range of skill levels, but the enthusiasm was always high, both by the dancers and the fans. Maddy even tried to get me to join, but while I’ve seen some performers use a cane in their shows, I’ve never seen one with a walker.
Nonetheless, I knew in advance this would be a great weekend, especially because the older grandchildren are such good sports joining the fun with Huddy and Maddy.
I was right, and I count myself blessed to have been a part of it.
Roy Wilhelm started a 40-year career at The News-Messenger in 1965 as a reporter. Now retired, he writes a column for both The News-Messenger and News Herald.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Nine grandchildren remain buds despite age spread
