G is for Grandchildren

Like many women, early in my married life, I envisioned having several children and later on, several grandchildren. We were blessed with only two children, but they were the delight of our lives, so with only two children, the “several” grandchildren shrank considerably. Maybe we’d have four or five at least.

But that didn’t happen because our son, Jay, died when he was 24 and didn’t have any children. This may sound terrible, but after he died, I used to wish that a young woman would come to our door and announce that her sweet little baby was also Jay’s. That didn’t happen. So . . . our daughter, Wendy, was left to provide the grandchildren, and I had no wild idea that she’d have four or five children . . . grands for us.

But she, along with two husbands, did give us two fantastic grandchildren, a girl and a boy. Our first grandchild was Corey Elizabeth Mansfield, daughter of Wendy and Steve Mansfield. Corey was born on October 31, 1987. She immediately became my heart. She was such a sweet baby and little girl. When she was six years old, her mother and dad separated and later divorced. At the time of the separation, Wendy and Corey came to live with us. Divorce is almost always a heartbreaker, and Wendy’s was no exception; however, because she and Corey lived with us during Corey’s formative years, there’s a very special relationship that Frank and I have with our granddaughter. We were like second parents to her. She had so many problems in her teenage years, probably caused in large part by the divorce, but she came through and is a beautiful, talented young lady today. I credit much of her “healing” to a strong-willed mother who practiced tough love. I do have one regret with Corey. When Wendy remarried and had a baby, Corey went to both the labor and delivery room with Wendy and Todd. Just before Jackson was born, Corey came one more time to the waiting room to give a report to Todd’s folks and us. She plopped down next to me and declared, “I am NEVER having children!” And she has kept true to her word. She is 30 and has been with the same boyfriend (who is like a grandson to us) for at least ten years, with no sign of marriage and certainly no desire to have children. How am I going to be a great-grandparent? Poor Sandy! Corey has a degree in linguistics, but her love and her real talent is in making jewelry. Also she and Zach have traveled all over Central and South America and Europe. They're such good workers in restaurants and bars that their employers save their jobs for them, and they go right back to work when they return.

Our second grandchild was Jackson Matthew Yocham, born on May 21, 2005, three days before his mother’s forty-second birthday. His dad is Todd Yocham, the son-in-law that we had always needed. Jackson was a sweet baby and little boy, always loving to come to Grammy and Pop’s house. Since we live only about three miles from us and since Todd was a work-at-home dad when Jackson was a baby and a little guy, Jackson came to take care of Grammy and Pop many days. He is almost thirteen now and is still a sweet boy . . . to us. His parents see him a little differently sometimes, especially when he is glued to the computer and not cleaning his room. Hmmm . . . sounds like his mom when she was his age, except there were no computers. He has become a very good trumpet player, and this makes us happy. His mom plays French horn, and they have played duets at church and community functions. He’s very tall for his age and will pass his Grammy and Pop soon. Even though he’s almost 13, he still makes a beeline for us for hugs whenever he comes in a room where we are . . . unless his friend Cole is with him. Then it’s cool not to hug. Both boys get hugs from me, though, and they tolerate me.

In 1995, a young Russian woman, Irina, came to live with us while she was a student at the University of West Florida in Pensacola. She is a daughter to us, and we love her so much. She now has two little ones of her own, so we have four grandchildren.

Danil is her son and is a very handsome little fella. He’s smart as a whip, but he needs discipline. His sister is Dasha, and she, too, needs some strictness. Irina is going through a rather nasty divorce, and the children are a bit much for her alone. Both of the children are very sweet much of the time, and they love Grammy and Pop. The feeling is mutual!!

I’ve bent your ear about our grandchildren enough for one post. Thanks for reading about and looking at our beautiful little family!