Author name: Marie-Louise Parker

Not all the time I spend with my grandson is structured. Often, I just want to hang out with him. And those are the sweetest days.   We sit on the ground observing the tiny bits of life and chatting. Or we just wander around, lazily casting our eyes about.   One of those ‘just out wandering days’ we were strolling through our favorite neck of the woods along a babbling brook that had […]

When my grandson was born, I had to decide what I wanted to be called. Both sets of my grandparents had passed before I got to know them. So, there was no typical grandparent moniker that meant anything to me.   I chose GMa (GEE Ma). It felt fun and lively and active….like G-FORCE.  That’s who I am to my grandson. Just GMa.   Being a grandparent comes with

There’s something simple about pushing a child on a swing.  Back and forth. Back and forth.  No conversation is required.  It’s a gentle rhythm. A nostalgic, quiet kind of joy.  That was our plan that day — just a simple, “Let’s go outside and play on the swing.” I had recently hung one of those saucer-style swings, the kind that

There was no way we were going outside that day. It wasn’t just cold or rainy or windy — it was a sideways, freezing rain kind of day.  I love storms. I could rest my chin in my hand and watch nature’s fury for hours. My grandson was captivated too, at least for a while. But eventually, the conversation faded, and the

The gloomy stretch between fall and winter can feel like the dreariest time to be outside.  The glittery magic of snowfall hasn’t arrived yet. The beautiful autumn leaves have fallen and faded to rust and brown. Bare trees stand against grey skies, and the beige grasses and ferns in the woods don’t exactly invite discovery.  My grandson and I

“That’s a beautiful necklace,” someone said to me at a gathering recently. “What is it?”  “It’s an inukshuk,” I replied.  “What is an… inukshuk?” she asked hesitantly, trying to pronounce the unfamiliar word.  An inukshuk (pronounced in-ook-shook) is a stone structure that looks a little like a person made from rocks. For centuries, Inuit people across the Arctic have built

I was reminded last week how the smallest moment in nature can transform an uncomfortable situation.  You know the one: bored children at an adult event.  If you can’t send them to another room to watch a show or hand them a tablet to keep them occupied, things can become a little tense. There was a time

My grandson was going through a dragon phase.Dragons in books. Dragons in drawings. Dragon toys everywhere. So one afternoon I suggested something simple: “Let’s go outside and see if we can find one.” He was old enough to be skeptical. He knew dragons didn’t exist.  But what he didn’t know was that I had a secret — one I