Susan Writes

“Gran, where we going?” Elaine asked as she settled in her car seat in my van. She’s 3 ½, a busy toddler, and the age when any outing is fun. “We’re going to the bank, the library, and do a little shopping,” I said.

“Do they have suckers?” my Grand asked.

As we drove toward the bank, Elaine and I talked about what her brothers and sisters and parents were doing that day. And then she asked, “Gran, what’s Pop doing?” I answered, “Blowing leaves. All those brown leaves on the trees in our yard have fallen off and covered our driveway so Pop is blowing leaves off the driveway into the woods.”

Elaine shouted, “With his mouth?” When one of my Grands says something that shows a misunderstanding I try not to laugh, but this time I burst out laughing. I explained that Pop uses a leaf blower, a machine like a vacuum cleaner except instead of sucking up dirt on the floor, it blows air and moves the leaves. Elaine stuck her thumb in her mouth and twirled her hair with her other hand – her comfort. I apologized for laughing.

We drove through the drive-through window at the bank, and Elaine chose a red sucker that replaced her thumb in her mouth. At the library, I slid books in the drive-through return and Elaine asked, “Who catches them on the other side?”   She was happy with my answer, “I don’t know.”

On to shopping.   It was quick stop at one store to look for a new purse for me. Two large racks of purses hung from floor level to high above my head. From the bottom rack, Elaine immediately grabbed the biggest, brightest red purse adorned with silver brads and fringe. “Get this one!” she shouted. It fell to the floor when she put it on her shoulder and she decided it was too heavy. “How about this one?” A tiny, turquoise purse with a long shoulder strap. She wore that purse as I continued looking and when I held up a black and brown shoulder bag for her approval, she wrinkled her nose, shook her head, and said, “That’s dull.” I bought it anyway.

Back to the van, Elaine decided that she’d ride in her big sister’s booster seat, not her car seat, and her strong-willed independence came through. “But Mama always lets me!” she screamed. I knew that one time she buckled herself in a booster seat while the family van was parked in the carport. To distract my Grand, I commented that she and I were dressed almost alike. Blue jeans and denim jackets. “But I don’t have a shirt with a balloon on it,” she said and pointed to my shirt. And I told here that I don’t have a shirt with a dog on it. As Elaine climbed into her car seat, I said, “When you get big, I’ll let you wear my balloon shirt.” Elaine replied, “When you get little, I’ll let you wear my dog shirt.”

I’m thankful that I live close to Elaine’s home. Most times when I say to my daughter, Elaine’s mother, “Would Elaine like to ride along with me this morning?” the answer is yes, and I have a partner. It’s a win, win, win for Daughter, Grand, and me.

Filed under: Grandchildren | Tagged: ride along, running errands, shopping trip |