The Grandma Effect

My mom is pretty magical.  And my kids all think so, too.  

She is an excellent public speaker, a thoughtful mentor, a creative writer, a loving wife, and an incredibly sage mom and friend.  

I love her very much, obviously, but I am constantly struck by just how much mine and my sister's kids love her.  My mom's relationship with her grandkids is slightly reminiscent of the pied piper.   Her soft voice singing lullabies is soothing and causes instant drowsiness.  The games she invents are engaging and age appropriate (need I remind you of Sydney Lee's Fashion Show extravaganza?), and her ability to make any book instantly captivating is a skill I hope to inherit.

This ability of my mom's to instantly magnetize any and all grandkids in her near radius to gravitate to her is known as The Grandma Effect.  Danny's mom has a similar effect on the big girls, and the babies are beginning to show signs of weakness to her powers as well.  Personally, I love The Grandma Effect. I am able to have moments of almost completely uninterrupted peace when a grandma is in the vicinity. With four kids under five, the peace doesn't last long.  After a while, the grandmas do usually end up leaving a bit frazzled and worn out, but that's the price they have to pay for being grandmas!   

I love this next picture because it is the most obvious visual representation of The Grandma Effect I have on file.     

Grandma Donna is doing what she does best, reading to the kids.  Her mini-me grandchild, Little G is sitting serenely to grandma's right, probably hoping her cousin Ellie will find something more interesting to do that is anywhere but on Grandma Donna's lap.  She seems a little jealous, perhaps mildly peeved that she is playing second fiddle to Ellie, but she knows that if she cries, Grandma Donna will put her in her crib, or worse, leave our house altogether!  J.D. is interested in the book mainly because Grandma Donna has mesmerized him with her musical voice.  Even though something inside him is telling him to go grab a hammer or drill right now, he is under Grandma's spell, and is unable to move.  Cousin Ellie has the cat's meow.  She is front and center on Grandma's lap, enjoying the book, laughing and squealing to her heart's content.  

The Grandma Effect, folks. It's real, and if you haven't observed it in your life already, it's probably happening in your very near future.  Be afraid.