Reflections of...Family!

 "The importance of the older teaching the younger!"

   Reflections Of…family!

      by Alan P. Scaglione

Happy September Everybody!

I just love this time of year—when we Celebrate the BERS!
You know—SeptemBER, OctoBER, NovemBER, DecemBER!
Exactly— The Bers!
Football is back!
Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer!
And all things Autumn start to show up!
And school is in!
And my beloved grandson Jett is now in school!
Only 4 and yet—he has homework!
I spent the evening with him, and his mom reminded him that had homework.
So… I had the joy of helping my grandson with his homework.
Been a while since I’ve done homework, but…the kid’s in pre-kindergarten—I should be able to get ‘er done!
It was writing his A’s and a’s, and his 1’s and 0’s.
Should be a piece of cake—I’ve got this!
Jett, on the other hand—was trying his best.
You see, what was old hat to me, but a first time at the rodeo for my grandson.
I had to show him how to hold his pencil, how to stay in the lines—
Remember that paper? The kind with the broken line in the middle? That one!
He really put effort into each letter. You could see he was concentrating on getting it done correctly.
It felt really important to be there—helping my grandson learn how to write his A’s and a’s!
I felt this sense of nostalgia—remembering when I did this for Jett’s Dad—not so long ago—and now, for Jett!
I’m in that place in life where every new memory jars an old one!
I find myself reminded over and over again about stuff we did with the kids or when I was a kid.
Not sure if this is just getting older or just waxing nostalgic—but, teaching Jett his A’s and a’s—felt pretty special.
When we got to the 1’s and 0’s—Jett informed me that it as an L, not a 1.
I tried to explain to him that this was the number 1 – but, he was insistent that he was right—this was an L, not a 1.
I thought to myself “he really IS my grandson—he knows what he knows and is not going to let anyone tell him different!”
Even IF—this time it WAS a 1 and NOT an L!
Hey, he’s 4—there’s time to learn the difference between an L and a 1—this was time with his Nano—and I just let him think what he thought!
I wonder how much of what we do each day from rote memory, like adding, multiplying, even percentages—
Do we forget how hard it was to learn that?
I watched him drawing each character, with effort and determination, like it was the first time for him—because—it WAS the first time for him!
And I just felt this sense of Circle of Life!
You know—Simba and his father—The Lion King movie?
And I remember how the Word tells those of us who are older (guess that would be me?) to TEACH the younger what we know…
Pass on our knowledge, our skills, our beliefs, our faith…
So that someday…they will be doing the same thing for their own.
At the end of the night, I got to tuck Jett into bed.
We said his night prayers!
He knew them… I listened as he said…
“Now I lay be down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep, Angels watch me through the night, until I wake to morning light!”
Huh?
That’s not what I used to say with my kids!
Where’s the “If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take!”
Apparently—the parents today think this scares a child—so—it’s OUT!
Jett said “Nano, you say it too!”
Glad I have a good memory!
As he drifted off to sleep, Jett said in that “almost asleep” voice…
“I love you Nano, and I love playing with you!”
And that’s a new memory I will celebrate when  I DO get Old!

Brother “A”

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What have you taught your grandchild?