Syracuse Parent and CNY Family

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005. You can leave comments below. She may also be reached at editor@syracuseparent.net

HUG A GRANDPARENT
Image to go with the HUG A GRANDPARENT cover story

Posted on Tue, September 15th, 2009
Written by: Jennifer Wing, Editor
email: editor@syracuseparent.net

Both of my grandfathers died when I was young, but I carry with me memories of the times we shared.
My grandmothers, on the other hand, only passed away in the last few years. At their funeral services, I felt that a part of my childhood was being buried with them, as there is nothing like a grandparent’s love.
Growing up, my brother and I were fortunate enough to have a close relationship with both of our grandmothers. We didn’t just visit with them on holidays, but also would travel to Utica to spend weekends with them and our cousins.
My mother’s mother lived in a house on Kayuta Lake, on the outskirts of the Adirondacks. In summer, we would swim in the lake, and during the winter months the adults would clear the snow off its icy surface so we could ice skate. Grandma Serafin was always a very independent woman, working well into her senior years, living alone and driving up until about a year or so before her death.
She was tough but fair, and seemed to enjoy having us kids around, playing in her playroom, shooting pool or just taking walks around the neighborhood. She was always up for a lively discussion, a good gossip magazine and fun with her seniors group. She enjoyed being with her daughters as well, shopping, dancing or just listening to the music at polka dances and going to garage sales.
My father’s mother, known as Baci, (a familiarization of the Polish word for grandma, Babcia) was very different from Grandma Serafin. She had never learned to drive, though she worked at Mele & Co., a maker of jewelry boxes, for many years. She raised her children in a small house on a nice family-filled street in downtown Utica, a home that was recently razed by arson in a neighborhood that has, sadly, become more of a demilitarized zone over the years. When I think of Baci, I think of her cooking, how soft the sheets were at her house (she always hung them to dry) and the tune she used to hum when she would do chores. She always had Lifesavers in her purse at church and a box of chocolates in the cupboard in the living room. She loved cats, soap operas, lilac perfume and her garden. I can never look at a pot of violets without thinking of her.
And she lived for her family. She was never happier than when that small house of hers was filled to bursting with people. The guys would sit in the dining room, with beer and whisky and the occasional cigar smoked by my Uncle Paul or Uncle Eddie. The women would sit in the kitchen, preparing food, talking about family news and laughing. Us kids would be constantly going from room to room, eventually ending up in the living room, watching television, playing a board game or looking at old family albums. The house would be filled with laughter and fun and, in the way only children do, I felt it would never end. Now that I am a bit longer in the tooth and those days have been long gone, I feel the loss deeply.
But that loss is tempered with the knowledge that my children are now having those golden days with their grandparents. Although my father-in-law has passed away, my mother-in-law spends plenty of time with my children, doing crafts with Cassidy, playing games with Jacob, making cookies and watching over them as they splash in her pool. They visit local parks, eating a picnic lunch and playing on the playground equipment. They sometimes spend the night, and enjoy “popcorn night,” watching movies and eating snacks before being sent off to bed.
My parents, too, spend a lot of quality time with the kids. They, together with my mother-in-law, take care of the kids when my husband and I are at work. My father (Dziadziu, Polish for grandpa) takes them fishing, wrestles and jokes around with them and lets them “help” in his garden. During the winter, he takes them sledding on the big hill in front of his house and makes roaring fires in the fireplace to warm them.
My mother (Baci) bakes with them, plays with them, takes them to the YMCA and, basically, devotes a good portion of her life to them. She dotes on them, making their favorite dishes and snacks, planning fun activities for them and taking them on visits to Uncle Paul and Aunt Jackie, who still live in Utica, and my Aunt Sharon and Uncle Tom’s farm in Afton. Summer is the time when my parents spend the most time with the kids, with many weekends at our camp on Lake Ontario, swimming, frogging, playing in the sand, flying kites and taking long walks along the beach.
I think back to the times I spent with my grandparents and am glad that I had them. I now watch my children with their grandparents and realize that they, too, will treasure these times, as they fade into memory and they enter the world as adults.
I realize that time is so fleeting and it is important to slow down and make time for the people closest to you. I know that my children feel these times will not end, but I know better, and cherish them all the more for it.
I think you should always let grandparents know how important they are to you, but certainly, Sept. 13, National Grandparents’ Day, is a great time to share your feelings, spend some time together and…
hug a grandparent.

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005.

Jennifer Wing, editor of "Syracuse Parent" and "Mother Knows Best," lives in Manlius with her husband, Eric, and children, Cassidy, 7, and Jacob, 5. She has worked at Eagle Newspapers since 2005.