(A 2003 reprise) Grandparenting is Grand Parenting. I couldn’t have imagined the joy, pleasure and fun I’d find in this, the best of all situations where I’m teacher, companion, playmate, clown/entertainer and, rarely, minor disciplinarian to grandchildren Amalia and Nick. Then, before you know it, it’s time for them to go back home again, and for me to catch my breath and rest up for the next episode. Three-year-old Nick is ‘full of it’, and...

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The ‘gang’ began developing at Christmastime, when we offered to subsidize a trip to Disney for our youngest grandchildren and their parents during Spring Break. It grew after we invited the Florida branch of the family to think about joining in.  The size varied from 7 to 14. I’d enjoyed our trip to Disney a decade ago with another set of kids and grandkids, and wondered what it would be like this time. I was curious to see how I would handle...

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Grant, at four you’re a picture of the best of humankind. Your half-bashful smile and twinkling eyes, and the way you sometimes flirtatiously wrinkle your brows when speaking is disarming. You have the heartiest laugh I’ve ever heard and, regardless of what you find funny, others can’t resist joining with you in a chorus of laughter. But that’s merely window dressing for the soul and, while perhaps you are a bit unusual, that’s not enough to...

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After a two-year courtship, I’ve finally been admitted to granddaughter Maya’s inner circle. I’ve always had a way with babies and little kids, and blissfully assumed that Maya would find my charms irresistible. Things started off well. At an Easter brunch when she was two months old, she became fussy after feasting on her mother’s milk. Anxious to be a hero, I scarfed down my meal, skipped dessert, and offered to take her for a walk. Holding...

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