The Good Mother

If you ask me how many times I am an uncle, I don’t really know for sure. I think it is around fourteen times, give or take a couple. I have had nephews and nieces since I was five years old. Some of them still call me “Uncle Johnny” even though they are over forty.

Being a good grandmother, my mom was often called on to baby sit while their parents were off doing other things. Sometimes this would involve the kids staying at our house overnight.

I learned a lot of things from these experiences.

Manipulation was the first lesson. As the parents were about to leave, their kids often started crying hysterically trying to get them to take them along or to stay. After the drama was over and the parents left, my mother would ignore the act and pretty soon her grandchildren would be quite content in our home. When they calmed down, she would reward them for being so good. The irony in this is that when the parents returned, the act would start again, except this time in reverse. The children wanted to stay with grandma.

My mother instinctively knew when the crying should be ignored. She also had another talent.

When her grandchildren were in the house in another room, she would suddenly say, “I’ve got to go check on them. They are too quiet.” Having had eight children of her own, she had learned instinctively that an unusual silence deserved investigating.

I have read the accounts of parents of children who have committed suicide. Often they mention how their son or daughter became suddenly quiet in their relations with them, but they ignored it, hoping it would pass.

Do you have a friend or loved one who is unusually quiet right now? Then don’t delay. This is the time you should be checking up on them. There is nothing wrong with communicating with anyone if it is done in love.