It's afternoon snack time here at our house - the girls are just up from naps and we're all enjoying a little mid-afternoon munchies. Lydia is gnawing on a teething stick - a gift from Grandma Wang. Grandma Wang is a fixture in our lives here - she makes a daily visit to our apartment to deliver milk and yogurt... lives over in building #4 and has a grandson who turns one year old on Thursday. It's a rare day that Grandma and I don't meet at least once, often more frequently.
Grandma Wang belongs to a group of folks here in the complex who are unashamedly trying to buy my daughters' friendship, one snack at a time! In addition to the teething stick, Grandma has bestowed numerous snacks and cookies and crackers on my little girls. When she drops off the milk she frequently bends down to eye level with Julianna and says, "Come over to my house and eat some cookies, okay?"
Last week the "1st floor grandpa" who lives in the ground level apartment in our stairwell met us with some candies for the girls. The next day when Julianna realized the candy was all gone she said, "Let's go back to 1st floor grandpa's house and get some more candy"! I thought: that's exactly what he was hoping you'd say!
One quick note: Family names are common terms of address here in China. My girls refer to outside playmates as "elder sister" or "younger sister" or "elder brother" or "younger brother". College age and other young parents are referred to as "uncle" or "auntie".... and older folks are called "grandpa" and "grandma". If someone is genuinely referring to a relative, they'll often clarify, so you know exactly who they are talking about. Of course, with the one child policy intact, very few young people have a genuine sibling. Sad, but true.
1 comment:
Grandmas, Grandpas, neighbors...they all love to "treat" the kids, don't they?
Glad to hear that you have such dear people in your life who love you and your kids so very much!
Post a Comment