Experts say that the most important relationship in most children’s lives, after the one they have with their parents, is their relationship with their grandparents. I know that my grandmother was extremely important to me and she always made me feel loved and important. There was almost no hurt she couldn’t soothe, no wound she couldn’t treat. There’s a special and unique love between grandparents and their grandchildren. The wonderful thing about grandparents is that, unless they’re raising the grandchildren, as often happens, their primary role is to simply love their grandchildren. In return, their grandchildren love them unconditionally as well. The story below, though probably fictional, will probably make you remember the special bond that you share with your own grandparents.
An elderly woman and her little grandson, whose face was sprinkled with bright freckles, spent the day at the zoo. Lots of children were waiting in line to get their cheeks painted by a local artist who was decorating them with tiger paws.
“You’ve got so many freckles, there’s no place to paint!” A girl in the line said to the little fella. Embarrassed, the little boy dropped his head.
His grandmother knelt down next to him. “I love your freckles. When I was a little girl I always wanted freckles,” she said while tracing her finger across the child’s cheek. “Freckles are beautiful!”
The boy looked up, “Really?”
“Of course,” said the grandmother. “Why, just name me one thing that’s prettier than freckles.”
The little boy thought for a moment, peered intensely into his grandma’s face, and softly whispered, “Wrinkles.”
