Time with my grandsons over the Christmas break was relaxing, but more importantly, precious.
As a grandmother of two boys I treat every moment with them as a gift. Needless to say there are challenging moments as they develop their own personalities. Their minds are like webs and I get caught in them for better or for worse.
My older grandson turns 13 in less than two weeks. Now taller than me, he is in the discovery stage and likes to challenge my comments. I take this as a good thing.
My 10-year-old grandson, albeit much smaller in stature, has a strong mind and provides constant mental challenges to all, mostly positive.
Both boys have the best hearts, are affectionate and demonstrate that I am important to them. I delight in the joy when they readily exhibit their improved table tennis skills and I witness a slow decrease in my wins. I gave up on winning UNO years ago. For those who don’t know, it is a card game and suggest you Google it. Fabulous basic game to take anywhere to entertain the grandkids .
During my seven days with the boys over the Christmas break I discovered there was one common denominator that contributed to a more relaxed environment for each of us individually and as a team . It was to colour in. Who would have thought that as an adult you can find peace and be at one with the world with such a simple craft.
My artist sister introduced me to this about a year ago and at the time I thought: “Oh no, how can I fit in another art/craft project into my already full life”. I now have three different brands of coloured pencils and two books at home.
I didn’t expect to be colouring in during my time with my grandsons in Melbourne and to my surprise they delighted in the fact that I am almost addicted to the art.
The only thing I didn’t have was my own book and Jacob, my eldest grandson, said: “Nanny Babe, why don’t you make your own book?” My response was: “Well, you are a talented artist, why don’t you draw some pictures for my own book”. And that is how it all started.
I have personalised colouring books created by Jacob and I was able to assist the youngest Lachlan with his new Christmas present, a Colouring In Calendar. How about that? My 22-year-old niece also came to visit and guess what? She joined in the fun with her new Christmas present.
The benefits were mutual, we were at peace with each other, had quiet ad-hoc conversations and my daughter was given a short reprieve from her motherly duties. A simple craft with powerful outcomes.
Ruth Greening holds a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Psychology & Philosophy. Before retirement, she worked for over 40 years in the corporate world in Melbourne and Brisbane and progressed into senior management positions and project roles for both private industry and government.
In her 70th decade, she continues in casual roles as a freelance writer, model, and actor participating in small movies, TV commercials and User Generated Content.
As a grandmother, she is known as Nanny Babe to her grandchildren and writes from a Baby Boomer perspective on her blog www.nannybabe.com. An avid crafter Ruth actively participates in sewing, crocheting and knitting.
While she continues to pursue her artistic passions, Ruth is dedicated to maintaining her health and fitness as she ages by attending the gym, dancing and walking and thrives on mentoring others.
Connect with Ruth or our moniker Nanny Babe; nannybabegengp.blogspot.com.au/
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