Life

10 Things Our Grandparents Taught Us When We Were Growing Up That We'll Never Forget

Tanya Ruiter / Throwbacks

When it comes to family members, there are few people who are as universally awesome as grandparents.

Sure, aunts are awesome, uncles are great, and there are always some pretty excellent cousins, but a grandparent is unlike any of the rest.

Those who grew up near their grandparents are obviously the luckiest of them all, because they had this second set of parental figures to go to for advice. But instead of forcing them to do chores or homework, they just fed them yummy snacks and let them play.

My Grammie, my sister and ITanya Ruiter

Being a grandparent sounds like a way more fun job than being a parent. Many of us have issues with our parents when we're growing up, but we only feel joy when we think of our grandparents.

Many people on Twitter recently decided to reminisce about the awesome stuff they used to do with their grandparents, and more importantly how those moments still influence them today, and it'll bring you right back to your childhood, I guarantee it.  

1. They influenced our taste in television and movies.

Mikki Kendall shared her tradition with her grandma, saying, "We would go get our hair done, come home, eat french fries, and watch TV together. It's why I love mysteries, westerns, and soaps."

2. They taught us how to spot a good deal.

Sarah Kendzior got to enjoy some iconic Bob Barker moments. "Watching The Price is Right with my grandma. We both loved that show and she would lecture me about how to spot discounts and save money and those lessons came in handy for life!"

3. They taught us about responsibility.

"I love, love, love these kinds of stories," another user said before sharing their story. "My grandparents had a bird feeder and my granddad would give me a bird book and a pencil to make a tally sheet of what types of birds I saw and how many. I have no idea why but this task felt like Very Serious Business at 8 years old."

4. They taught us to value tradition.

Annual traditions are obviously a big deal for grandmas. "Every New Year's eve, we'd have a "party" in my grandma's basement where we'd get lots of snacks and soda and play charades. I remember how heartbroken she was when we got old enough to want to go out."

5. They taught us to believe.

A creative and clever grandma taught her grandchild how to believe. "When I was 5, my grandma used to take me to the wooded park near our house & we'd walk the paths, looking for dinosaurs. Somehow, I always just missed seeing their tails as they trundled away, but my grandma always saw them. My grandma taught me to believe in the unbelievable."

6. They taught us some stuff that they probably shouldn't have.

Some grandmas were teaching a completely different type of skill. "When I was little, my grandma taught me how to play poker, but instead of using money, we used fruit. I’d match her 3 red grapes and raise her an orange slice and a strawberry."

7. They taught us how to enjoy mini-vacations.

Sleepovers at grandma's were always a big deal. "I had something similar: I would sleep over at my grandma's (I got to stay up past my bedtime to watch The Love Boat! I am old!) and then sometimes the next day we'd go downtown to the big department store and gawp at everything and have lunch the store's old school cafe."

8. They taught us how to treat people.

One grandpa decided to treat his grandchild as more than just a kid. "My grandpa was the only person to treat me as a person rather than a kid. He played othello with me  (and never cheated in my favor) and insisted when we were shopping that the clerks talked to me. I do the same with my kids."

9. They taught us to have imaginations.

Grandparents are good at bringing out the magic in the world. "My Mamma (my grandmother) was my world growing up. There's so many memories I could talk about but one of my favorites was when she convinced me to save the seeds from some strawberry jam. We buried and watered them and wouldn't you know it, we found a tiny jam jar 'growing'"

10.  And they taught us how to stay young at heart.

Grandparents know how important is it to stay young at heart. "My Nan loved the carousel at [Bressingham Steam] We tried to go every year. This is her on it at 90 years old. We lost her last month on her 96th birthday. I’m so grateful my children got to spend fun times with her too."

HT - Twitter

Who else loved spending time with their grandparents? Share your stories in the comments!

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