Interview with My Granddaughter

Not long ago, our oldest granddaughter called requesting an interview with me for a school project. Before I even thought about it, I said yes. We are notorious for saying “yes” to our grandkids without first getting all the details.

Being There for My Granddaughter

I hadn’t kept up on what classes she was taking this semester, so I wasn’t sure what questions I might be asked. If the interview was for an English class, she might ask me why I nag on the grandkids about the grammar they use or don’t use. If the interview was for a science class, she might just be searching for the reason why our wildflowers look so wonderful in the summer. If the interview was for an industrial arts class, she might be trying to figure out why I can’t hammer a nail in a board without bending the nail.

I was beginning to fret, as I wanted to do well and help our granddaughter get a good grade. I decided to put off the fretting until after the interview. Well, mostly.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

The interview started out easy enough. Questions revolved around my high school years. “What was it like growing up?”

She remembered we didn’t have sports for women back in the good old days. What she didn’t know is we were not allowed to wear any type of pant, jeans or slacks to school. It was only dresses and hose. This was pre-panty hose days, so I really do mean hose. I had to walk to and from school. No busing, no soccer mom carpools. Just old-fashioned shoe leather on pavement. Oh, the horror! Our granddaughter’s stricken facial features filled the room. Her gasps were audible upon hearing the terrible conditions I had to encounter back in the good old days.

We quickly moved on to other topics. My college years, motherhood, more college years and my professional career. Pretty boring stuff. I think I detected a nodding-off moment. 🙂

I returned to my fretting. I wondered if I was giving her enough examples and experiences that would help her complete her project, or if I was giving her too much (thus the nods). I stopped.

Cherishing Our Time Together

I wanted our granddaughter to be proud of my history. But more importantly, I loved that we were spending time together alone. That doesn’t happen very much anymore. Not the good solid “one-on-one” time. Family is usually present with lots of laughter, joking and storytelling.

I realized this moment was special. Although the interview was important, it was only important because it’s what brought us together, really together. The educator in me hopes she gets a good grade. The grandmother in me gave her an A+ for just being there.