Diary of A Modern Gran | A Sticky Situation
You’ve heard of glue ear. Well this week we had a severe case of glue hair! It started like this…
I asked if my grandchildren could come round to play for the afternoon. I’d bought in lots of crafty stuff from a local shop and we thought we’d get stuck in. This turns out to be all too true.
Literally, within five minutes of my son-in-law dropping them off, seven-year-old Rose lets out a cry. “Look Gan Gan,” she yells out.
Oh no!
My granddaughter has got the most beautiful strawberry blonde hair which goes down to her waist. The front part had come loose from the ponytail and was coated with thick glue.
She’d been trying to take the top off the glue tube which would come with the pack. Thank heavens it wasn’t superglue. (I once managed to superglue two of my fingers together when sticking some shells on a picture. It was very scary trying to get it off. In the end, I succeeded with washing up liquid and a scouring pad. But that’s another story…)
Right now, I am more concerned with getting the glue off Rosie’s hair. I have this ghastly vision of the parents having to take her to the hairdresser for a trim.
“Quick,” I say. “Upstairs to the bathroom.”
I get her to bend over the basin and so I can shampoo the gunk of her hair. But it isn’t that easy. I have to say she’s being very brave and isn’t making a fuss. I am the one in full panic mode.
Then I try to brush her hair out with my hairbrush. “I hope you don’t have nits,” I joke.
“Of course I don’t,” she says indignantly.
Actually, I am only half joking. One of my three – better not say which – had nits when they were young. I was mortified until a friend of mine whose child was similarly affected, told me that you usually got nits if your hair was super clean.
I’m not sure if that’s a story put about by embarrassed parents but it sounds like a good one to me.
Anyway, we manage to get the glue out. What a relief!
By this time, most of the tube is empty but we manage to squeeze the remainder out to make thank you cards.
Now I don’t know about you, but I do like receiving a hand written thank you card. My daughter is also very good at this but I thought we’d get one in the post to my sister to thank her for her presents. So George cuts out some shapes and then Rose writes inside. We also opened the paint-your-own-mugs sets that I bought for them.
Meanwhile, I’m still working my way through Christmas cards which have arrived late from people whom I haven’t sent cards to. This is partly because of the post and partly because I didn’t feel like writing them after Daddy died. I hope they understand.
It’s a strange time between Christmas and New Year, isn’t it? Is it my imagination or does the world go into hibernation more during this time than it used to? Even our local surgery has closed until January 2. The larger branch is open but that’s a couple of miles up the road. How on earth are people meant to manage if they don’t have transport?
Sorry. What did you say? I didn’t hear your reply because my grandson is playing his electric guitar. This has gone down a treat although it’s created a pretty noisy household. If only the same could be said for my granddaughter’s violin which remains silent. I finally got through to customer services – at least they were open – and spoke to a very nice young-sounding man who told me that the violin assembly instructions were on the website. But why aren’t they on a printed sheet inside the box? What about people who can’t work a computer or have access to one? And why isn’t there a little piece of paper inside the box to say that the instructions are on the said website? Or did I throw that away by mistake with the wrapping?
Oh dear. Have I become a moaning granny?
The good news is that a couple of hours later, while I’m walking along the beach in the early evening, watching the surfers, my son-in-law rings on FaceTime. Rose is playing the violin! It’s no longer silent. Her face is a picture of contentment.
Then I feel a strange ache passing through my body. It’s like a wave which seems to come every now and then.
I take my temperature. It’s normal. But my throat is sore and itchy. Oh oh. I’ve succumbed to the general lurgy that seems to be everywhere.
I only hope I haven’t passed it to my grandchildren. Now I don’t know about you but I’m not very good at being ill. I’m far too busy to go to bed. So I keep going. Then I wake up at 2.15am and can’t go back to sleep. Never mind. I’ll get in my ‘duolingo’ daily practice at three in the morning – I’m learning Spanish! Then an idea comes to me for a short story. I write it down before I forget it.
The clock now says 4am. It used to be the children who were up at night. Now it’s me!
I’m desperately hoping that I’ll be better for the Peter Pan pantomime on New Year’s Eve. I’d booked it ages ago as a family treat. It will be the first pantomime for three years after the virus.
But the day arrives and I’m still not right. I’m so disappointed. I really wanted to see my grandchildren’s excited little faces. But I can’t risk infecting everyone.
When they get back, they ring me, full of excitement. “Tinkerbell had wings,” says Rose.
“There was lots of magic,” adds George chirpily. “We made a wish so that you would get better soon.”
How sweet!
“Have you made your New Year’s revolution?” asks Rose
I resist the temptation to correct her.
“I’m still thinking about it,” I tell her.
‘Our revolution is to set up a band,’ she trills.
That’s exciting!
“Let me order my earplugs now,” says my husband.
Then my sister rings. “We got the children’s thank you card,” she says.
Wow. That was quick.
“It’s very sticky,” she says carefully.
“Yes,” I say. “It’s a bit of a long, hairy story…”
Ask Agony Gran
“My daughter and her partner have got two young children under five. They’ve just announced that they’re getting a puppy. I think it’s crazy. They’ve already got their hands full as it is. When I told her that, she got upset with me and said it was none of my business. Now it’s caused a cooling off between us.” Name withheld
Jane says:
Oh dear. I’m so sorry to hear that. We are a dog loving family ourselves. But you do need a lot of time and a certain amount of space so I can see why you might be worried. On the other hand, your daughter has a point. Decisions like this are up to them. It’s very easy as a grandparent to say what you think. And although you mean the best, it can lead to divisions. You don’t say whether you live near them and whether you might be asked to dog walk. If you are, that’s a different story. You might well feel put upon.
If it was me, I think I’d tell your daughter that you’re sorry if your views offended her but that you were thinking of them all, including the puppy. Then I’d see how it all plays out. A dog can be a wonderful member of the family. It can also teach children responsibility although obviously you need to make sure that children are safe; that they respect the boundaries with pets; and that the dog is well looked after. The RSPCA has some advice and a video about children and dogs on its website, www.rspca.org.uk.
Family News
Seeing in the New Year
Do your children or grandchildren need to see the optician? It’s said that one in seven pre-school children and one in four school-age children need “vision treatment”. A child’s vision is fully developed by the age of eight apparently. So it’s important to get any problems treated early.
The Funny Things They Say
Thanks to Jimmy who sent this one in.
“I was telling my eight-year-old granddaughter last week that it was going to be New Year soon. ‘What’s wrong with the old one?’ she asked. ‘Mum says we can’t keep having new things. We’ve got to save.’
“This made us chuckle!”
Your Feedback
Last week, I asked if any of you cut back on Christmas and whether you saved up for it during the year? This is what some of you told us:
“I set a limit of £20 each for my five grandchildren. I usually spend more but I explained that I couldn’t afford more because of my bills. Everyone seemed to understand.” Susie from London
“I put aside something every month, starting from January, towards Christmas presents for my eight grandchildren who are between two and 22. The amount varies depending on what I can afford that month. I put it in a special savings tin. Then I give it as cash to the older grandchildren and use the rest to buy presents for the smaller ones.” Jilly from Manchester
Children’s Book of The Week
Each week I’ll recommend a great book to share with your grandchildren.
This time it’s You Choose Your Adventure by Nick Sharratt and Pippa Goodhart (Puffin).
Your grandchildren can choose their own adventure with this exciting book that only costs £1. Great for getting the imagination going!
Jane Corry is an author and journalist. Her new book is called Coming To Find You (published by Penguin).
When her stepbrother is sent down for Life, Nancy seeks refuge from the press in an old seaside house. But does she know more than she is letting on?
Eighty years earlier, the owner of the house was a B & B owner who was also a member of Churchill’s Secret Army. Can Nancy find out Elizabeth’s secret – and find peace herself?
You can pre-order it here.
For a free short story, please sign up to Jane’s newsletter on her website www.janecorryauthor.com.
