Commentary

Grandparents Day

September 4, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By Jasen Obermeyer

This upcoming Sunday is Grandparents Day, and weirdly, it’s not as advertised, known, and worse, celebrated as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

While it’s understandable that many times, not all our grandparents are alive when we’re around, they should still be celebrated.

They’re a different, but important figure in your life.

Yes, they very much spoil you, and can provide a fun getaway from your parents, especially weekend sleepovers at their place. They’ll stuff you with sweets, warm food, money, and love. And even sometimes they can be a source of comfort and discussion in a way you might not want to with your parents. At times, parents lecture, grandparents listen.

They can teach us new things our parents can’t, and provide another pillar of strength in our lives. They provide a window into your family’s generational past and traditions.

At times, grandparents provide more than just a name. They’re a source of support, wisdom, guidance. In the worst case scenario, the grandparents become the primary caregivers, going through the same life experience all over again.

Each of us has our own personal story and relationship with our grandparents.

Unfortunately, I never met two of my grandparents before I was born, and while I was five when my Grandpa passed, the memories I have are more like still images.

So it was just my mom’s mother, my Nonna, who provided all the memories for me. And given she lived with us, it was a different experience than others. It came with its many pros and cons.

As I’ve tried writing this stuff down, it feels almost impossible to do this justice, because I have so many memories, so many things to say, about my Nonna. Since she passed, it feels like every day a new memory springs up in my mind, putting a smile on my face.

The benefits of having her live with us was that I just got to stay home; no daycare, babysitter. She was everything. I’d be playing with my toys, and she would carefully walk by or around, cooking something that either smelled wonderful or gross. We had our battles. And she’d be cleaning in another part of the house, only to stop and check up on me. Listening to her Italian music, or on the phone with relatives.

She was very protective of us. Given my parents were up very early to go to work, if I ever had a sore stomach, I’d get her up in the middle of the night and she’d happily make me chamomile.

She was a constant source of comfort for me, so much so that it was one of the main reasons I hated going to kindergarten. But every morning she helped us get ready for school. Until I was a teenager, she walked me down our driveway, 700 feet, waited for the bus with me, and was the first person I saw when I got back home. Rain, snow, it didn’t matter. And she was always at our school events.

When she went to Italy for a month in the summer, I was six, and a wreck. Crying, wanting my Nonna. It felt like forever before she came back.

During the summer, she loved her garden and grew a variety of fruits and vegetables. Waking up, if she wasn’t inside, I’d usually see her in her there, or following the hose to one of her many flower gardens. I learned a lot (against my will) about gardening, but enjoyed helping her bring back tomatoes to make sauce, and peeling beans while we watched television.

Of course, she spoiled us; every time she went grocery shopping with my parents, she brought back a donut from Zehrs. She provided lunch money. And when I drove her to the bank to get cash, I always had to bargain to get less money from her.

Heck, even when we got a dog, and she threatened to leave, she very quickly showered him with love and food, even getting his own section in her garden!

My brother, sister, and I definitely put her through the ringer. We pulled pranks on her, jokes, gave attitude. She provided a common enemy at times for the three of us to band together against. She earned being a Nonna 24/7. And we also earned being her grandkids. Fortunately, she had a pretty good sense of humour.

In particular, when I was young, we just left to go camping, and yelled for us to turn around because she forgot her false teeth! Boy, we always jokingly asked her after if she brought her teeth, and she’d respond with a smile on her face.

The last few years have been difficult. The holidays and family reunions are different without her. It’s hard not having her in my life when she always lived right down the hall. Seeing her all the time to not anymore. Every day we’d say good morning, and every night we’d find each other to say goodnight. Her presence is missed.

After everything I’ve said, I haven’t even scratched the surface. I’m glad she got to live a long life and see her grandkids grow up. For better or worse, she helped raise me.

Grandparents are certainly special. Cherish them, soak up every minute you have, every memory you create. You never know how long they’ll be around.

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