Pauline and I are very fortunate to have 10 grandchildren, three boys and seven girls.
This year we’re enjoying a unique experience. Our oldest granddaughter, Heather, is spending the summer.
In summers past, we’ve had a grandchild or two spend a day or so with us, sometimes a week.
Heather was unable to find work in her home town of Niles, Michigan. Grandpa found her a part time job as a hostess/cashier at a local sports restaurant franchise owned by a friend.
Heather will turn twenty this September.
She is entering her second year at Eastern Michigan University, majoring in nursing.
She plans to become a nurse practitioner. In high school, she was selected for a college nursing program, elected captain of the varsity soccer team and a member of the National Honor Society.
Heather excelled her first year in college, making the Dean’s List for the year. I would like to claim she got her smarts from me; I know that’s not true.
Heather is a very quiet young lady.
Not a Perfect Picture
We hardly know she is around. When she’s not working, you will find her reading, either with a book or on the computer. The balance of the time she watches television or is on the phone with her mother.
Heather is also very frugal. It’s a rare occasion when she buys anything or goes out with friends or relatives. Even when I offer to buy her a book, she’ll say, “I can get it at the library.”
The one change Pauline has noticed is in our food budget. She makes more trips to the grocery.
Hopefully Heather is enjoying the summer with us, and we are trying to make things as easy and comfortable as possible. We realize she misses her parents, brother and sister.
However, she is on the phone with them almost daily. All of Heather’s family, with the exception of her Dad, was able to spend twelve days here visiting her, staying at our house. Those twelve days, Pauline was at the store every day, sometimes twice a day.
I wish we could provide Heather with the financial help she will need to complete her schooling to ease her mind in that regard.
Since we are dealing with other problems, it’s just not in the cards. Pauline and I will continue to do what we can.
With hard work and her great grades, she will make it and be a better person because of the struggle.
Our wish for her is that she will fulfill her dream. Our concern is with the problems at home. She could feel she should be working instead of going to college. Getting her college education will, of course, help more.
In four years we will have two more grandchildren heading for college.
He will be Heather’s brother and the other will be our other daughter’s oldest, Ashley.
My hope is that by then the economic climate will be better and financing will be easier. Fortunately, Ashley also is an excellent student and Ryan is a very good athlete. Possibly lots of scholarships will be available for them when the time comes.
We could take the position it’s not our problem when it comes to their education. But we can’t. We love our grandchildren. We want them to succeed.
It isn’t easy sitting on the sidelines. We don’t always agree with decisions being made by their parents.
Remembering the comments made by our parents regarding how we were raising our children, we just bite our tongues.
Sometimes it hurts. Teeth marks go deep.
Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net