Everybody knows what their parents taught them and are thankful for it. But what did you learn from your grandparents? For example, I learned to not walk barefoot on a bare floor. Not because of the splinters, but because of the hayfever my grandmother and I both suffered from. She also taught me to not sleep in an open window, both of which I am careful not to do now.
Janet tells me that her grandfather, my father, taught her how to drive across railroad tracks with the least amount of roughness. He taught me the same thing.
How about you? What did you learn from your grandparents?
my grandparents raised me so guess everything I learned I learned from them.
Wilma, we saw our grandparents only for short stretches at a time about once a year. We had a set of city grandparents and a set of country grandparents in Howard and Elk County.
At a very young age my country Grandmother tried to teach me to milk a cow. I never did get the hang of it.
As I got older, my grandmother taught me how to saddle a horse and run and clean a separator. My grandfather was usually very busy but he did teach me how to hitch a team and fork hay. I also made some mental notes about the fine art of tobacco spitting.
Yea, Flo. I remember your grandmother. She was a lady. I could say something else, but I am not going to.
Waldo, my grandfather worked with teams of horses, too, but somehow I never learned to harness or hitch them. I feel as if my education is sadly lacking. Or drive them.
Ah, that was another thing my grandfather taught me: how to hold the reins and drive the horses, usually while we were standing up front on an empty hay wagon, which rolled on four automobile tires.
I had an Uncle in Elk County and he let me drive his team. (He always ran a three workhorse team).
We went out on section roads in a zig zag manner about three miles from his place to a rented pasture to deliver hay or something. The uncle made a comment that once I started the horses, I did not need to drive any longer because they would leave the pasture by themselves and would go home without any further intervention.
I allowed as to how that was impossible for those dumb animals to find anything. So he had me get them going and then he took the reins and tied them to the front of the wagon. The horses made all the necessary turns and got home on their own.
From my grandparents, I learned to appreciate beauty...The value of perseverance and hard work...Unconditional love...That in some cases, to be respected is better than to be loved...The finite quantity that is life...To look to the future and plan for those that come after you.
My Grandma Lillian taught me to ride a horse at a very young age. She also gave me the love of nature and love of animals. My Grandpa Harold taught me the importance of laughter in life, he was always joking around. I miss those two people so very much!!!
I learned to sew from one of my Grandma's. I still call her for advice. Her husband, my grandfather, died at a young age (50's) so I was pretty young. I do remember I learned that 5- $1 bills was the same as 1- $5 bill.
I learned about all sorts of farm-related things from my other grandparents.
My grandma taught me to play books with real cards, she also taught me that you got thumped on the head with a thimble when you misbehaved. ;D She also taught me that the birds and flowers were pretty special. My other grandma taught me to sew quilt blocks and to use a treadle sewing machine. She also taught me how wonderful an old trunk could be for a child to go through with all kind of special things. She also allowed me to draw up water from her kitchen pitcher pump into her special cobalt blue glass. She made us French crepes rolled in powdered sugar and filled with homemade jelly. Pretty special memories indeed!
I knew my maternal Grandparents and Grandpa taught me how to fish - and I guess Grandma taught me how to sit quietly and live up to the saying, Children should be seen, not heard. She was always so wonderful to hold me on her lap and I loved her kitchen, it smelled good- my paternal Grandpa died 2 years before I was born, but Grandma Workman lived with us 13 years, and was such a part of my life - she always told us--do your work, then you can play. Sometimes that made sense, some times it didn't, but she was a firm believer in that statement. I learned to shock corn and karir corn, milk cows, harness a team, saddle a horse, run a cultivator and a disc harrow and a plow, bale hay, ride bare back, catch our mare in the pasture and ride as long as I wanted to without a bridle, just holding on to her mane -draw water, teach a weaning calf to drink from a bucket. catch, kill, scald and dress a chicken, make a meal from very little...on and on and on, learning it from my loving parents. Life was good --- and still is, even if it was pretty shy as far as dollars was/is concerned. But the main thing I learned was the golden rule -- the most important thing of all. Daddy always said, " It is not what you think of yourself that counts, it is what other think of you." I still believe that.
I didn't know my paternal grandparents. But my Grandma and Grandpa Knight I did. We lived right beside them growing up. My grandma taught me how to sew to. I remember many of nights just spent getting projects ready for the fair. She also taught me some of her cooking skills. I remember watching her make her soft pies, bake rolls, and only wishing one day I could do it. I can make them now, but not sure if they are as good as grandma's or not. She also helped teach me to play the piano. I would have never knew what a pump organ was or how to use it. My grandpa passed away when I was 10 but he taught me how to ride horses. He also taught me to my love for animals. They were both wonderful people that I miss very much!!
I have really enjoyed this thread.........My paternal gandpa died when I was 8 and he had been in
"the old-folks"home for some time before he passed. I only remember visiting the home once and then
I do not think I got to go in, had to stay outside........may have been the age rule, or Mom and Dad chose
not to let me see the place.
Grandma Bates introduced me to the Lord....Yes, I am still learning about HIM!
Grandpa and Grandma Tschantz.......'maternal grands' I remember better.
They were in their 80's when they passed on and I was an adult with kids so really spent more time
with them and from grandpa learned how to love farming and animals and all that goes with it.
One story I remember about Grandma Tschantz is I was a tot in arms........about 3 or so and she was holding me while
we checked out the chickens............I being young and asking all kinds of questions........felt her bosom and when I patted it asking what was in there? She told me there was a mouse in there..........I am so surprised that as much as I love animals I didn't insist to look and see!.............I still remember this after all these years............63 and giggle.......
Yes, I miss them and sure wish I could play on their farm. Yes, I know at my age I would be sitting in the porch rocking chair
and spending my time visiting.....
Oh the good old days.
Thanks for the memories.
God bless Grandparents.
I never was able to spend much time with any of my grandparents. My paternal grandma died when I was very young and I have very few memories of her. My paternal grandpa Walt was a Wichita boy that had a Frigidaire repair company. From him I got my last name and learned a grandparents love. I was relatively old when I learned that he was my grandma's second husband and had adopted my dad. From him I learned what love was he, was a great man. From my mom's side I had Genevieve and Lester Winn. They had Winn's Cafe in Howard and are why I found this site. From them I learned that it doesn't matter how may kids or grand kids you have you can love them all. Mostly, I remember them working at the cafe and all the great times I had there. What I remember most about my grandma is her sense of humor and how she kept track of all of our birthdays. With 15 kids and I don't know how many grandkids. great grant kids, and great great grandkids she always remembered your birthday. From my Grandpa I have a couple memories. I remember him working all day running the cafe and the butcher block in the back where we were all shown how to cook. I remember him then cooking supper for all of us at home when we came to visit. There were always big crowds coming from such a large family. From him I learned the my love of cooking for my friends and family and I carry his tradition on today by cooking for large crowds on all the holidays. From him I learned to feed the cat's out back 'cause they keep the mice away and it is the right thing to do. The most prominent memory of have of him was when a quail hunter came to the back door of the Cafe with his black "boy" and asked if my grandpa would feed him. My grandpa told him that his "boy" could sit in the front. That was a big deal in those days. My mom always told me that was due to my Quaker roots. I learned my tolerance for other people from that. A lesson that has served me well all through my life. While I never spent much time with any of my grandparents some of my most cherished lessons I learned from them.
David
I didn't know my maternal grandparents very well, but my paternal grandparents lived just one block away while I was a young child. From my grandpa Love I learned to love newspapers and housepainting. He taught me how to remove wallpaper from plaster walls and how to cut in a corner when painting a wall. Grandpa had a wonderful whistle and would always call out "Yoo hoo!" whenever he came through our door. I don't remember him being much of a talker, but I do remember he always had some Brach's mixed candy in his pocket. Oh, and I did see him "sample" some grapes and Brach's at the grocery store! And no, I didn't learn to do the same....LOL
My grandma Love would play Scrabble and Spill and Spell with me, which helped to instill my love of words, and Yahtzee and Hangman. She also would "let" me roll coins (counting skills) and make up words using dry alphabet macaroni. She always had the dictionary nearby during Scrabble and would help me spell a word as well as learn what it meant. Grandma always remembered her grandkids' birthdays (nine, I believe) and always gave each of us three $1 bills. Even when I was in my 20s, married with kids, she'd send me a birthday card with three ones in it. She died four months shy of her 100th birthday.
Grandma Riggs taught me how to snap beans, make a pattern out of an old garment, and that Skin So Soft by Avon will keep the Chiggars away.
Granddad Riggs taught me how to drive, the secret yumminess that is spun honey, and that men are never too old to admire a beautiful woman.
... and no woman is more admired by a grandpa than his beautiful granddaughter.
Rudy, you are right on. When I married my wife was and still is beautiful. We had a daughter who I think is very beautiful and now she has given us two granddaughters. They are the most beautiful young ladies (ages 4 and 1) in the world and the apples of my eyes.
I didn't know my grandparents on my fathers side and barely knew my maternal grandfather. But, I knew my grandmother well and she instilled in me, manners, courtesy, and being honest.
In reading this thread, I think about what I can pass on to my granddaughters and that would be manners, courtesy, and honesty.
Larryj
From Grandpa Smith I learned the worlds inside books, that there were many interesting things in the world that most people didn't think about, what milk straight from the cow tastes like, that arguing is not fighting it's two different points of view and to enjoy said argument, horses, rodeos ,he taught me MANY things......
From Grandma Smith I learned patience, acceptance, she and Grandad "let me help" even when it would've been a LOT easier if I didn't LOL,she and grandpa taught me about gardenin and lovin flowers, she told us the stories about the people we never met and the things that happened...we'd spend hours lookin at pictures and havin her tell us about them, I remember her feedin hobos that came from the train tracks behind their place. Used to scare Dad and Grandpa to death...... I loved those two people..........
From Grandma Gertie I learned about manners and bein ladylike although I drove her crazy in that department lol. She taught me about startin with a little bit of nothin and turnin it into SOMEthin. She took time with us too.......
They all taught ME how to be a grandparent..I only hope my grandkids have HALF as many good memories of me when my times over.
Since both of my grandfathers had already passed by the time I came into this world, and my grandmother Durbin passed away when I was two, I only got to know one of my grandparents, grandma Octa Hainlin.
Now, I know I must of learned a lot of other things from her, but what always comes to mind is:
Slightly old peanut butter can be made palatable by putting it on toast and then covering it with brown sugar ( it works just as well with perfectly fine PB also ;D ;D )
If you want to increase your chances of winning (every time :P) at Monopoly, then YOU have to be the banker >:( Octa was always the banker, and she always won ??? :o Maybe it had something to do with being in her thirties during the depression ;) ::)