Hi. I’m Wendy Orton and the grandmother behind canadiangrandparents.ca. My husband and I live in the Toronto area in Canada, near our two grandchildren. They are like all grandchildren – curious, funny, stubborn, adorable, independent, and loving unconditionally.
When I heard I was going to be a grandmother, my first thought was, “But I’m not old enough.” A strange response, I know and one that still makes me laugh when I think about it. Then when I held my little grandson for the first time, I learned how true the saying is, “Grandchildren fill a hole in your heart you didn’t know was there. ”
I had only my grandmother and grandfather on my mother’s side growing up. We lived in the east, and they in the west. We kept in touch with letters and phone calls. I only remember a handful of times seeing them and cherished all the contact we had, although infrequent.
That experience left me with a promise to myself to be involved in my grandchildren’s lives as much as possible. I love the magic of children the second time around. I am very fortunate that my daughter and son-in-law share my enthusiasm and ensure as many touchpoints as possible.
I love being with my grandchildren. There are cherished memories of playing games together, playing in the snow, creating scavenger hunts and texting to keep in touch. He taught me how to play Beyblades, and I beat him once. But I did win and have the video! He tried to teach me Minecraft. His patience is a virtue.
As many grandparents do, I bake a lot with my grandchildren. I have delighted in watching my grandchildren grow and take more responsibility in the kitchen. The results have been some creative concoctions that actually do taste good.
There has been so much to learn about being a grandparent; this is what this community is about. I like researching topics and have started interviewing Canadian grandparents with more experience or knowledge than me. (That is pretty much everyone!)
If there are things you would like to know, drop me a line (wendyorton@canadiangrandparents.ca), and I will be happy to look into it. We can share what we know, learn together and be better grandparents. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!
Wendy