Nothing compares to grandparents.
Sure, parents are great and all. But there’s something special about grandparents.
It’s even in the title — they’re grand.
“A grandparent isn’t someone that just bakes you cookies or gives you gifts on holidays,” said Syrena Tracy, University of Arizona student and granddaughter. “They are someone who is wise and teaches you lessons as a grandchild to grow into the person you’ll become.”
While having them is pretty special, we hear being a grandparent is pretty great, too.
“As parents, we of course adore our children and marvel at all the new things they learn,” said Robin Gerard, grandmother to six. “As parents, we are also distracted with making a living, maintaining a household, going to the grocery, laundry, paying bills, et cetera, so sometimes these distractions force us to miss some special moments with our children. As grandparents, you do not have those distractions, so the time you spend with your grandchildren you can be 100 percent present and not miss anything.”
Gerard’s six grandkids all live in Colorado, but she puts in extra effort to have strong relationships with all of them.
“We keep in good contact with Skype,” she said. “I talk to them or see them almost every week, via Skype. And I go out there at least four times a year.”
Skype enables Robin to read stories to the grandkids and even work on letters and words with flash cards.
“We do our best to stay connected, even though we’re apart,” Robin said.
One grandson, who is almost 5, was born in Tucson and lived here until he was nearly 3. Last year, he and his “Gigi” ran the one-mile kids run at The Great Pumpkin Race at Buckalew Farms, a highlight for grandma and grandson that they re-live through stories.
“When I see my grandson, we always make up stories and we make one up about that pumpkin race,” Robin said.
That grandson and Robin developed a bond that was not only grandma and grandson, but more like buddies when they lived in Tucson, said Robin’s son, Rob Roberts.
“They were great pals and continue to be now,” Roberts said. “When she visits Colorado, they even share a little twin bed.”
Unconditional love — a quality that makes her an “exceptional mother” — is what makes her a great grandmother, Roberts said.
“We know, if and when we need her, mom will be there for us,” Roberts said. “She showers that same love on her grandchildren. And, she does it in many different forms. She never forgets to send them a gift, whether it is birthdays, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Easter or even Halloween.”
All six of her grandkids know and love their Gigi despite the long distance because she puts in the time and effort, Roberts said.
Robin’s daughter, Meghan Jacobsen says her mother is an inspiration.
“She’s just very motivating and caring,” Jacobsen said. “I hope my kids learn from her how to have a good heart.”
Meghan’s oldest son, Dylan, 10, got the running bug from his grandma, who runs regularly, and ran Boston Marathon two years in a row. So much so, that he has joined a running club at school.
“She’s just so relatable and she runs a lot and I’m so athletic and love running and she helps me with problems,” Dylan said. “She’s funny and she’s nice. Every Valentine’s Day she gives me books to read. I love reading.”
The duo go running together when they see each other. One of Dylan’s favorite memories is riding his bike while his grandma ran seven miles.
“For me as a father, it has been such a fun journey to watch the relationship between my mother and my sons develop,” Roberts said. “She has always been a great mom and she will always be a great grandmother.”
Gerard is just one of many of Tucson’s doting grandparents. From coaching cross country to making the best root beer floats, these grandparents are beacons of guiding light to their children and grandchildren:
Doug and Sandy Holm, grandparents to two
Since her oldest son was born, Sarah Betts’ parents have gone above and beyond to help her family out.
They believe that being grandparents is about “helping us raise our kids, not just spoiling them, but raising them to be good people,” Betts said.
“I want to teach them to love everybody and give everybody a chance,” Sandy said.
With Sandy, the grandkids come first, Betts said.
“She puts her grandchildren above everything,” Betts said of her mother. “Anytime we ask, she pretty much drops everything to watch him and help us out.”
Same goes for her father.
“My kids adore him, too,” Betts said. “It’s funny because he’s a lot different with the grandkids than he was with his own kids. He just has a lot of fun with them. It’s really fun getting to watch him be a grandpa.”
For Sandy, being a grandparent is a totally different experience than being a parent.
“You’re so involved with your kids, correcting them or training them to be responsible adults that you miss stuff that you can enjoy as a grandparent,” Sandy said.
Generosity is a trait Sarah hopes her kids learn from her parents.
“They’re incredibly generous with everything they’ve got — money, time and love — and I hope they teach my kids to be like that,” Betts said.
Doreen Castillo Davis, 49, mother of one, grandmother to one, step-grandma to one, marathon runner and running coach.
For Doreen, being a grandma is a second chance.
“I get to make up for all the things I didn’t do for my daughter,” the 49 year old said. “The truth is you get to love them and you get to give them back. I love her and spoil her and make sure she has everything she needs and then she gets to go back to her mom.”
Kindness is a trait Doreen wants her granddaughter, Mariah, 9, to learn from her and strives to teach her about it.
“I actually put her in a summer camp at Ben’s Bells and she loved it,” Doreen said. “She was always kind before that, but now you can talk to her about it and she’s the kindest girl ever. She’s that one girl in class that takes care of everybody.”
Doreen’s passion is running — she ran the Boston Marathon among others — and was able to share that with her granddaughter as the assistant coach for the cross country team at school last year.
“I got to spend time with her and share my passion and it’s pretty cool,” Doreen said. “Mariah enjoys running. I hope to see her running as she grows up, but she’s into softball right now. She loves it and is really good at it.”
The two have gotten to spend lots of quality time together traveling, too. Doreen took Mariah to Maui and to the Grand Canyon.
“I try to do things with her and get her out and expose her to different things,” Doreen said.
Jimmy and Vivian Cesario, paternal grandparents, and Barbara Wright, grandmother and teacher
Syrena Tracy says her grandparents — dad’s father and mom’s mother — are always there for guidance and life lessons.
“He’s overall a great person,” she said of her grandfather. “He’s very responsible about things and makes sure you’re doing the right thing. He’s always giving advice.”
Syrena says she can go to her “papa” about anything and admires his tenacity in having to fix things himself rather than hiring somebody else to do it.
“He’s 83 and acts like he’s 60,” Syrena said.
She also enjoys her shopping trips to Kohl’s with her grandfather.
His wife, Vivian, died recently. She was affectionately called “mama” by the grandkids.
“My mama was a woman of joy and inspiration,” Syrena said. “My mama was the one to sit with you and tell you stories about when she was younger, and the one who made sure you were on the right track with life. She could bring happiness to any situation and make you feel better if you were down.”
Barbara Wright or “nana,” is a former math teacher at Pima Community College and still teaches at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. She goes to church every weekend.
“She’s very good at guiding you. She has taught me values in life and really gets in-depth about things,” Syrena said. “She has taught me multiple life lessons. Like, if I get in trouble I can call her and she tells me what I need to do and what I can learn from it and she is very full of knowledge.”
Bill and Barbara Wardle, grandparents of nine
Going to the grandparents house is often about the simple things.
For the Wardle’s grandkids, it’s drawing with grandma, running through the sprinklers and root beer floats.
“Root beer floats are their favorites,” Barbara said. “So, I always have root beer and ice cream on hand.”
Growing up with the mantra “a house isn’t a house unless it’s a home” and inspiration from her own grandma, made Barbara into the grandmother she is today.
“My own grandmother was great,” Barbara said. “Family comes first. You stick together one way or the other.”
From the moment Judi Badie — daughter of the Wardles — became pregnant with her first child, her parents were there. They went to her prenatal visits and ultrasound appointments and attended the birth of both of her children.
They continue to show that same interest in their grandchildren’s lives by going to school open house and the end of the year portfolio days.
“Bumpa” — kidspeak for grandpa — loves to make paper airplanes with his grandkids.
“They experiment with different weights by putting paper clips on them and test them out,” Badie said. “Every time they go over they want grandpa to make paper airplanes. And he’s notorious for taking them to the park with kites. He gets the biggest kites. He’s big on nature walks with them and gardening.”
Bumpa also teaches the kids life skills like fixing the toilets and checking the oil. “They like doing those things with him,” Badie said.
Grandma called “Mermer,” a name her mother was called by her grandchildren.
“She likes to sing to them, read them books and do crafts,” Badie said. “And there’s the infamous root beer floats. A&W can’t even make them like grandma. And she makes up simple games with them, like she’ll crumple up a piece of paper and try and throw it in the garbage can.”
Badie’s 6-year-old daughter says she loves the holidays with her grandparents — from dyeing Easter eggs to decorating the Christmas tree.
Having such closeness with their grandparents helps them have high self esteem, Badie said. Her hope is that her children will listen to their grandparents’ stories and learn about where they came from.
“I don’t think I listened very well as a child when my grandmother talked about her life and the people who were close to her, and now that I’m older I find I’m curious about my history and ancestors and I can’t ask her,” Badie said.
She believes that learning those stories helps with self esteem and “realization of themselves and their character.”
For the Wardles, life is best when shared with children.
“When you are blessed with children, it’s better than gold,” Barbara said. “I’ve told all of my kids that. We’re a close family.”
“They take such delight in watching the kids play. That’s what makes them happy,” Badie said. “I can’t tell who’s having more fun, my kids or my parents.”
