Going to Granny’s house

It’s an exciting day for the family! Tristan will be having his first sleepover at Granny and Papa Lou’s house tonight.

When I was growing up, I spent a lot of Saturday nights sleeping over at my Granny and Granda’s house. We had a ritual, where Mom, Granny and I (and probably my brother, but he didn’t enjoy staying with Granny as much as I did) would do a little shopping on a Saturday afternoon, most likely at K-Mart. We’d have lunch at the Red Grill, where French fries with gravy and jell-o were always on the menu. And we’d always stop by the toy section, where I would get a little treat like a colouring book, or a new outfit for my Barbies, or something similar.

Mom would drop us off at Granny’s house and head home. My Granda used to like going to the races on a Saturday afternoon, and when I saw his car pull into the driveway, I’d run and hide. When I heard him coming into the house, I’d start to make very loud animal noises – mooing like a cow, or screeching like a monkey – and he’d walk through the house saying, “Granny! Do you hear that? There’s an animal in the house.” I can still remember the delicious delight of anticipation, tucked under the bed or in a closet and giggling madly while waiting to be ‘discovered’.

I was the only granddaughter of three grandkids, and my Granny and Granda indulged me like a princess. They are probably the roots of my diva complex! I remember standing in front of their fireplace, singing songs I had learned in school to their rave reviews, or doing magic tricks from one of the kits I had enticed them into buying for me. I remember using a Kleenex box as a cash register, and my Granny singing her song about “come and buy, come and buy” in her thick Scottish brogue. I remember staying up late (all the way to 10 o’clock!) on a Saturday night to watch the Love Boat and Fantasy Island, and I remember my Granny staying up with me when I couldn’t sleep because something on Fantasy Island had scared me. But what I remember most is being the center of their universe, bathed in the gentle and unconditional love that is unique to grandparents.

My Granda died when I was 10 years old, and it’s only now looking back that I realize that me continuing to stay at Granny’s house was probably as much about companionship for her as it was for the convenience of my parents. She was my Granny, but over the years she became my friend.

So even though Tristan’s first overnight stay is a big deal in itself, the fact that he’s going to be staying with his Granny and Papa Lou for the first time is even more notable to me. I can only hope that Tristan and Simon will enjoy the same beautiful memories of their time spent with their grandparents that I have from mine. And watching their relationship evolve over the past four years, I have no doubts that they will.

Did I tell you about how my parents came to live in Ottawa? They were living in London, Ontario, where I was born and where they had lived most of their lives. I moved here in 1988, and over the years tried to move back to London a few times, but it never worked out. I’d occasionally try half-heartedly to convince them to move to Ottawa, but they never took me seriously. For sixteen years, I’d drive back and forth to London on major holidays, and rack up long-distance phone bills in between.

And then in 2002 Tristan was born, and within six months, there was a ‘for sale’ sign on their lawn. They moved here just shy of his first birthday. Not much doubt about where I fall on the heirarchy now, is there?

There is nothing like the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren!

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

36 thoughts on “Going to Granny’s house”

  1. How sweet, Dani! He’ll have a great time.
    And oh, how your post brought back memories. Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Saturday nights.
    Those were the days!

  2. How sweet, Dani! He’ll have a great time.
    And oh, how your post brought back memories. Love Boat and Fantasy Island on Saturday nights.
    Those were the days!

  3. Dani, I too have wonderful memories of staying at my Grandparents place in Montreal. It was such an event to go there and have sleepovers. I think of my Grandma everytime I have a soft boiled egg. And for years I thought “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was a song my Grandma made up to sing to us girls :).
    I hope the boys have a great time and cherish their memories with their Grandparents.
    Anna

  4. Dani, I too have wonderful memories of staying at my Grandparents place in Montreal. It was such an event to go there and have sleepovers. I think of my Grandma everytime I have a soft boiled egg. And for years I thought “Leaving on a Jet Plane” was a song my Grandma made up to sing to us girls :).
    I hope the boys have a great time and cherish their memories with their Grandparents.
    Anna

  5. Well, as I head back to Canada tomorrow after “suffering” through a bachelor week with neither kids nor wife I will share in your delight of simultaneously initiating a tradition that will embed fond memories for Tristan in his young soul…but also ensure frequent nights out for you and hubby with out racking up (to use your term) monster baby-sitting bills. Do you think your Mom was thinking the same thing back in London all those years ago??

  6. Well, as I head back to Canada tomorrow after “suffering” through a bachelor week with neither kids nor wife I will share in your delight of simultaneously initiating a tradition that will embed fond memories for Tristan in his young soul…but also ensure frequent nights out for you and hubby with out racking up (to use your term) monster baby-sitting bills. Do you think your Mom was thinking the same thing back in London all those years ago??

  7. Luke just spent the night at Grammy’s last weekend. He had a good time. He missed his little brother, though, which surprised me. Anyway, I hope Tristan has as much fun as Luke did. And that his grandparents feed him less crap than grammy gives Luke.

  8. Luke just spent the night at Grammy’s last weekend. He had a good time. He missed his little brother, though, which surprised me. Anyway, I hope Tristan has as much fun as Luke did. And that his grandparents feed him less crap than grammy gives Luke.

  9. Brings tears to my eyes (in a good way) thinking about the few sleepvers I was able to have at my Nana’s house, making rice kristpie squares and being allowed to sit ON the kitchen counter. I also remember one particular little dog ornament she had – was my favourite.
    Tristan is SO lucky and blessed to strat such a special relationship with his grandparents.
    LOL @ the move happening not after 16 years of begging but 6 months after grandchild arriving – priorities!

  10. Brings tears to my eyes (in a good way) thinking about the few sleepvers I was able to have at my Nana’s house, making rice kristpie squares and being allowed to sit ON the kitchen counter. I also remember one particular little dog ornament she had – was my favourite.
    Tristan is SO lucky and blessed to strat such a special relationship with his grandparents.
    LOL @ the move happening not after 16 years of begging but 6 months after grandchild arriving – priorities!

  11. WOW Dani You did have special realtions hip with them. Where as I didn’t ahve grandparents around to do that. My Mom’s parents Died when I was 6 & 8 and my other Grandmother never had a house of her own and boarded at a couisns house and then moved in with us and I left at 18. I was never really close to her. She was very cold.
    Now my kids do love their grandparents ( well my parents) But they don’t sleep over much. They live next door. LOL! But they do sneak over for grandma’s cookies or a slice of bolona. YUCK!
    Great Memory Dani..I hope Tristan loves it as much as you did! And yes the day you have kids you become second class citizen. Sad but true.
    Hugs

  12. WOW Dani You did have special realtions hip with them. Where as I didn’t ahve grandparents around to do that. My Mom’s parents Died when I was 6 & 8 and my other Grandmother never had a house of her own and boarded at a couisns house and then moved in with us and I left at 18. I was never really close to her. She was very cold.
    Now my kids do love their grandparents ( well my parents) But they don’t sleep over much. They live next door. LOL! But they do sneak over for grandma’s cookies or a slice of bolona. YUCK!
    Great Memory Dani..I hope Tristan loves it as much as you did! And yes the day you have kids you become second class citizen. Sad but true.
    Hugs

  13. Coincidentally, Mike was just commenting this morning about your Granny (and his) and reminiscing about tea and toast before he went to bed;apparently she made the best toast ever. I wish I could have met her – she comes up often in memories, and always in a positive way.

  14. Coincidentally, Mike was just commenting this morning about your Granny (and his) and reminiscing about tea and toast before he went to bed;apparently she made the best toast ever. I wish I could have met her – she comes up often in memories, and always in a positive way.

  15. I loved this post – I was blessed to have grandparents like that. I got a little teary because your memories, although different from mine, brought up my own memories of sleeping over with the grandfolks. Makes me want to write a post about it…one of these days. 🙂 Thanks for another wonderful read , Dani.

  16. I loved this post – I was blessed to have grandparents like that. I got a little teary because your memories, although different from mine, brought up my own memories of sleeping over with the grandfolks. Makes me want to write a post about it…one of these days. 🙂 Thanks for another wonderful read , Dani.

  17. I totally agree. I loved staying at Grandma B’s house when I was growing up. She was the first significant person in my life to die, in 1985, and when she died, I just couldn’t believe that you were actually expected to go on without your Grandma.
    I’m lucky enough to still have my other Grandma in my life, and — thanks to a struck of really great luck — she just moved from Sarnia to Toronto, so I can now visit her a lot more often. She is also a total whiz when it comes to email. Grandmas are the best!

  18. I totally agree. I loved staying at Grandma B’s house when I was growing up. She was the first significant person in my life to die, in 1985, and when she died, I just couldn’t believe that you were actually expected to go on without your Grandma.
    I’m lucky enough to still have my other Grandma in my life, and — thanks to a struck of really great luck — she just moved from Sarnia to Toronto, so I can now visit her a lot more often. She is also a total whiz when it comes to email. Grandmas are the best!

  19. Beautiful story. I have a lot of memories about my grandparent’s too. I was just telling my oldest of them yesterday because my youngest just spent her first night at Grandma’s! She loved and is already asking today if she can go back.

  20. Beautiful story. I have a lot of memories about my grandparent’s too. I was just telling my oldest of them yesterday because my youngest just spent her first night at Grandma’s! She loved and is already asking today if she can go back.

  21. Wow, Dani, what beautiful memories you have. I so wish I had known my grandparents like that. My maternal ones died even before my mom married and my paternal ones saw me as an infant once as they lived in Europe.
    Being an only child, my parents moved close to us too when big sis arrived and she’s spent a LOT of time with them, including many sleepovers, and she does have a very special bond with her grandma. I so want them to know their grandparents that we make every effort to spend time together as its one of those things I regret about my own childhood.

  22. Wow, Dani, what beautiful memories you have. I so wish I had known my grandparents like that. My maternal ones died even before my mom married and my paternal ones saw me as an infant once as they lived in Europe.
    Being an only child, my parents moved close to us too when big sis arrived and she’s spent a LOT of time with them, including many sleepovers, and she does have a very special bond with her grandma. I so want them to know their grandparents that we make every effort to spend time together as its one of those things I regret about my own childhood.

  23. hey dani, i remember love boat and fantasy isl, too, the best. great post. i wonder what our parents were up to when you were at your granny’s. Back in the day. hhmmmm. Tara

  24. hey dani, i remember love boat and fantasy isl, too, the best. great post. i wonder what our parents were up to when you were at your granny’s. Back in the day. hhmmmm. Tara

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