Some grandparents are caregivers and see their grandchildren on a regular schedule. Others see their grandchildren when they can.
Recently I met a dedicated grandmother who fits somewhere in between. Rose is a waitress at the Olive Garden. She sees her 5-year-old grandson after work a few days each week. The child’s father works from home and needs someone to take his son out of the house after school so he has the quiet to concentrate on business calls.
When I met Rose as she was waiting our table, I noticed her tired, smiling eyes. Still working full time and probably in her late 60s, it made me think that perhaps her employment was more necessity than choice. If it is true that the eyes are the window to the soul, Rose’s eyes revealed a strong spirit coping with circumstantial hardship.
We connected on our joy of being grandmothers, and shared stories ranging from the fun to the fears of having grandchildren. We chatted about our adult children, finding the commonness in our experiences, although it was apparent we raised our children under different circumstances. Rose, who raised her three children alone on a strained budget, commented on how you run out of hands for the third child. She told me the story of the time she attempted to take a vacation without the children and ended up cutting it short because she had a mother’s intuition that she needed to go home. She returned home to three sick kids and never took another vacation!
Now, Rose admits she is more relaxed and enjoys time with her grandson and new baby granddaughter. However, what she can afford is still an issue. So this article is dedicated to Rose, who will probably never know how much she left an impression. It’s also dedicated to her need to find interesting and entertaining activities to do with her grandchildren that will only cost time, and not money.
All the following places are local and free. For nature areas, the grounds are open (for hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, stargazing) even when the visitor center is closed.
• The New York State Museum
www.nysm.nysed.gov
Open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Carousel Hours are 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Five Rivers Environmental Education Center
www.dec.ny.gov/education/1835
Visitor Center open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Thatcher State Park
www.nysparks.com/parks/128/details
• Albany Airport to watch the planes take off and land
• Stroll the city streets to view the sculptures and architecture of the buildings.
• Walk the indoor shopping malls to get exercise, learn about directories and floor maps, people watch, and play games like Twenty Questions.
• The local park
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