Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-03-03
GRANDPARENTS!

parents what do you remember
most about them? / asked several
adults this question, then a few
teenagers and a few days ago
asked some children who are be-
tween ten and IL years old.
To show how "age" mellows
our opinions I win tell you first
what the youngest ones told me.
There were five children playing In
a group and after had watched
them playing for a while asked
a girl, about ten years old how
she liked having her grandmother
'baby-sitting' while her parents
were at work.
Her face Lit up and she talked
50 fast it was hard for me to un-
derstand her. She was 50 happy
having her grandmother live with
them, she said, "oh, we have Sun
day dinner every day now since
Grandmother is here and we have
a bath every day and we wear all
clean clothes every day! "She con-
tinued," just smell me and see how
sweet I smell had q bubble bath
this morning and Grandma made
the water smell like this. And my
hair, oh Grandma brushes and
brushes it and she puts a ribbon
on it like the other girls wear e"
Then thinking she might have said
too much she shyly almost whis-
pered, don't tell Grandma but !
still love mother best Of all. She
is so nice and tells US such nice
stories and she sings to US each
night and now we all sing to-
gether when she Is not too tired"
when thought Of writing this
column I had asked the parents
If ! might talk to the children
about their grandmothers and how
they liked having them take
over the house from 1880 am.
until 5 pm five days a weelx.)
A second little girl said she
liked having her grandmother live
with them because Grandma made
them a good hot breakfast before
they left In the morning for school
and when they came home at noon
lunch was always ready, and they
got to school without having Il
hurry but, she said, II miss moi
having mother at home, but she
has gone to work 90 we can hav'
a house with more room for US.
They are q family Of five now
with GRANDMOTHER, and they wan
another bedroom and another bath
room. Her parents have found tn
ideal house and hope to be in II
soon.
Sometime later, asked a teen
age girl how she liked having he
grandmother helping take care o
the family while her parents work
ed. She, like the others, twas yer.
happy to have her grandmothe
there BUT she tries to boss m
too muchl She tells me to ,cleal
up and straighten up my bedroom
each day. Mother always did tina
before Grandma came! Grandmi
also says I have to get my lesson
done before I can start telephon
ing after I get home from school.
I told her understood he
school report card was much bet
ter the last few months and sh
said 'tyes, It Isl. Then she toll
me she had been put In the groul
Of brighter girls and boys and sh
knew 1t was because Grandma
urged her to study her homework
and get It before she went out
She said she wished her mothe
was home, but she had to admit
Grandma was doing a good job 70
all Of them.
One night a group Of oldster
were talking about their grand
parents and one. Elsie M. said
II used to think my grandrnothe
was actually the meanest woman
on earth because she tried to teacl
US to mind our manners and b
obey our mother. In that day an,
time the Grandparents whippe,
the children they were taking car
Of II they didn't mind and in SOM
cases the parents resented this, b
their sorrow. One grandmother
Mrs. Jones, said to her daughter
Marie, ! think you should stol
Helen from going 10 Bertha
house afternoons after school Der