If you are like me, you grew up on the family shows on TV that featured a lovely fashionable woman in a crisp shirtdress, coordinating apron, pearls adorning her neck, and wooden spoon in hand as she cheerily greeted her family and kissed her husband without ever mussing her makeup. That image of motherhood faded very quickly as my generation juggled careers along with family. A Supermom image appeared and then disappeared as we realized that doing it all was simply not possible.

Now we enter the grandparenting stage of life. We begin to try to fit the image of a grandma. But just what is that image? When my coauthored book, A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts, was released, I was asked to do an interview with a Christian radio talk host. When he discovered that I am a scuba diver, he was amazed. Here was a grandmother who was off on scuba diving trips every year. I didn’t mention it during the show, but my first grandchild came early during one of our scuba diving trips. My kids have never let me live it down.

The radio host said the whole thing conjured up a picture in his mind of a little old white haired lady sitting in a rocker wearing scuba gear. We laughed and agreed that grandmas aren’t the little-old-ladies-in-a-rocker anymore. In fact many grandmas I know still have careers or such active lives that they buy cookies rather than bake them for their grandkids.

While down the road, you may be remembered for some of your culinary skills, chances are the more endearing memories will be of the care and love and interest you extended to your grandchildren. You are a unique individual and the greatest gift you can share with your grandchild is you. Be yourself whether that is in the kitchen sharing your cookie recipe with your grands, in the water introducing them to a colorful undersea world, or out in the snow teaching them to make snow angels—my mother-in-law’s favorite skill to pass on.

You are Grandma and you are special to them. Let them love you for it.

Copyright © 2010 by Karen Robbins Share