March 16, 2010- Who are you and what have you done with my mother?

March Break sends a lot of kids to their grandparents' homes, and this year, instead of a trip south, my brother has sent his three lovely children to my mother's house for a few days. With the tow-headed moppets, she's sure a different kind of creature than the woman who raised me.

Sunday afternoon, after tidily finishing her lunch, my niece was offered ice cream for dessert, and after a first bowl, got up, went to the kitchen and brought the ice cream container back to the table for a second helping. No request for the second helping, no suggestion that if she were still hungry, there was more lentil soup to be had, not a single word of reproach from my mother, who had a three year old on her lap and was learning the finer points of checkers from the 7 year old.

"Did you ask for seconds of dessert, young lady?" I asked, knowing there was no such thing as seconds of ice cream in the house where I'd grown up.

In response, the nine year old smiled a smile that could only come from a nine year old who know they have their Grandma wrapped tightly around their little finger. "Oh, you don't need to ask for ice cream at Grandma's house," she said dismissively, "There's always ice cream for kids here."

I looked at my mother as she cuddled the three year old, completely oblivious to my sputtering incomprehension.

So, I've decided to my grandchildren before I have any actual kids. They seem to be more fun and it would be way less effort than actually having to instill values or discipline on them.