Chewers by Masticadores“Sleepovers” by Ute Carson
Not every family can afford a vacation. Faraway places are often gleaned from movies and books. But most families have a grandparent, an uncle or an aunt with whom a youngster can spend a night or take a short vacation. A sleepover offers untold opportunities. Let me tell you about a few. In this story, memories span the lives of many grandchildren.
Jack is the youngest of four, with two older sisters, Laura and Lisa, and his firstborn brother, Andy. Jack is left with his grandparents on his parents’ workdays. He is one year old and still clings to his mother’s neck as she loosens his fingers. Grandmother Erin receives him in her arms and motions the mother to depart quickly. There are tears and a lot of coaching during the first days, but then the handoff between the two households smoothes out.
As Jack grows older, he unconsciously incorporates many things, one being that his grandparents seem unhurried. Maybe they listen to him without interrupting and have the leisure to play cards or toss a ball in the yard at any time of day. He and his sisters learn from his grandmother the names of flowers in her garden.
“Put your nose right into the face of this blossom and tell me how it smells,” Grandmother suggests.
“Like baby powder,” Laura pipes up.
At night, Grandpa lifts Jack up onto his shoulders and points to the stars. “There’s the Big Dipper. You can trace its outline with one of your fingers.”
It’s the subtle influences that a child absorbs. Jack’s aunt’s apartment and his own are differently furnished. Aunt Ellen has a comfy brown sofa where jumping is allowed. His parents, with their Scandinavian décor, don’t even permit shoes on the rug.
There are knick-knacks on the mantle. Aunt Ellen tells him where she bought them. A carved angel comes from the Swiss Alps. She shows Jack the village on a map. “The angel was carved right in this shop amidst all the gingerbread houses.”
The smell of cooking wafts from the kitchen, and there are no restrictions on how much ice cream the grandkids can consume. But Grandma insists that they eat some fruit before snacking.
Jack has many cousins. His favorite is Alex, who writes a poem about breakfast with his grandparents. “I feel safe and calm. Brown is the color of coziness and safeness. It is the color of an Austin Morning.”
He remembers his grandpa frying bacon and eggs. The entire family is proud when Alex gets this poem published in the Mother’s Milk Books Anthology, “LOVE.”
Evenings are the best, when, after a bath, snug in warm pajamas, Jack is tucked in bed. Grandma tells a story, and together they sing a German lullaby. The lyrics of “der Mond ist aufgegangen” hum through the still-peaceful late hours.
When Jack gets older, they relax on colorful soft floor cushions. Grandma sips wine and asks him questions about his school days, his friends, and his favorite sport. He toasts with a glass of cider.
Grandpa always has projects ready, asking for help constructing a small garden shed or raking up leaves that flutter from their oak trees. One sturdy tree with a trunk like a barrel and wide-reaching branches deserves special mention. Climbing becomes a designated hideaway, and the wooden swing set dangling from a gnarled branch is used until the knotted ropes begin to frazzle.
“Higher…Higher,” all the grandkids call out.
There is always a sandbox. Who could do without a sandcake decorated with tiny precious stones? “Please, Grandma try one piece,” Lisa pleads.
In the mornings, Jack hears Uncle Bill whistle, and then he joins his Grandma in greeting the sun with a German song, “Die Gueldene Sonne,” to start the day. Together they linger in semi-darkness until the rosy sunfingers poke through the clouds.
Later, Jack drinks his bottle on the big bed before napping. Later still, he reads and secretly connects with a friend on his phone. They watch movies together which they discuss, but computer and phone usage are restricted.
All grandchildren remember the “My Friend Flicka” series as an introduction to the movie world. Questions are asked in confidence.
Jack lets himself be held when he doesn’t place in the science fair competition. “You will be among the winners the next time,” his Grandpa consoles.
His grandparents seem beyond reproach until grandpa is gruff with grandma and tells her to “Hurry up,” or when grandma snaps back at him, “Mind your own business.”
There are flights of fancy and daydreaming when Jack stands at the window of their loft, surveying the neighboring houses. He assigns each one to a family member. This one over there goes to the other grandparents who live far away. His parents get the big house across the lawn. His sisters and brother have to share the garage apartment. When asked about Grandma and Grandpa, he asserts, “They can stay right here,” but “I will choose a room for myself.”
Strictness and rules are often reversed. Grandma insists on good table manners, but then buys Laura a bra, though her parents think that she is way too young. When parents are reluctant to let Jack drive, Grandpa pinches his lips together and lays a cautioning finger across them before they take a spin around the neighborhood.
There are outings to school plays and the zoo. At a nearby park, the muddy creek invites splashing and laughter. “I thought the water would be warm,” Jack gulps as he dips under.
In the evenings, Grandpa turns the stereo volume up. The grandchildren absorb his love for the language of music. “Let’s dance,” Lisa twirls around and around on the wooden floor.
It is said that you have to swallow what you want to keep. Parents and grandparents lack no recipes for sumptuous food preparations. Baking cookies is a family tradition. Holidays bring the entire family together, where the youngsters paint pictures, write notes, and are proud to show their parents their newest antics, such as performing headstands and cartwheels on the lawn. They outdo each other, shouting, “Watch me!”
The older generation also benefits from sleepovers. “My heart warms when I think back to the times with the grandkids,” Grandma confides. “Those were truly my golden years.” Not only do grandparents feel needed, they learn new skills. Grandpa fumbles with Lisa’s knitting needles, and both grandparents are instructed by Andy about the variety and lifestyles of sharks. Drawing various sharks on posterboards, they learn to distinguish between the Great White Shark, Tiger Shark, and Reef Shark. Grandma, who grew up among sisters and had only girls of her own, becomes engaged in soccer games and watches in amazement as Jack puts together an intricate Lego airplane. The old remain agile and youthful, and tend less likely to become preoccupied with what ails them when a youngster bursts through the door into their waiting arms with a welcome “I’m here!”
Sleepovers single out a child. All concentration flows to them. If they are special to their parents, they gain boundless love from grandparents, aunts, and uncles. A unique closeness develops. They cuddle against a shoulder as babies, bounce as toddlers on laptops, and have their feet massaged as preteens. Turning into teenagers, they hug fleetingly but warmth and familiarity connect the generations.
As old age creeps up on the grandparents, the youngsters observe frailty and decline. They stand at the bedside after Grandma’s eye surgery. “Will Grandma be able to read again?” Laura’s voice is an octave too high. Jack urges Grandpa to do his exercises as he struggles to walk following a fall. “You can do it,” he encourages, steadying him in his walker.
Staying with relatives while young prepares a child to wander across unfamiliar lands, enter an unknown country. Travelling unaccompanied on a bus or an airplane fosters independence. What joy to be greeted with hugs upon arrival. The children’s senses are stimulated in a variety of ways that are often only slightly different from what they experience in their home environment. Nevertheless, there is always a hint of newness to encounter. As in their immediate family, children experience the ground of being loved. In turn, they learn to love even more.
Copyright © 2026 Ute Carson
All Rights Reserved
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