How do you feel when you visit your grandkids or they visit you? I have a 8 year old grandson that makes me feel great when I am with him. Not only is he very affectionate but says the cutest things when you are down and out.

My daughter and her family live in Florida, and when I go and visit them, it is always a real treat. I usually go for a three day week-end. When I arrive, before I can even turn my car off, my grandson is out the door and running toward me yelling, Grandma is here. Arms opened and mouth puckered. I get the biggest hug and sweetest kiss ever.

He is a big help when it comes to unpacking my car, Grandma can't go visit without having a car load of stuff for everyone. But when it comes to pack to go home, my grandson won't help cause he doesn't want me to go home. He thinks that if he doesn't help then I will stay forever. Wrong!

The first day there is dedicated to everyone. I listen to my daughter tell me all about everything she told me on the phone already, listen to my son-in-law complain about his job, and listen to my grandson whine cause Grandma isn't playing with him.

Day two is mostly dedicated to my grandson. Tristan has always been the apple of my eye. How many grandma's sit in the driveway and dig in the dirty sand and make roads for little cars and trucks? I do. But the real fun is when you add water to it and you make your castles and mud pies and get really dirty. Me and my grandson had a ball, my daughter thought we were nuts. I ended up buying a large plastic swimming pool and adding play sand so we don't get so dirty. That is fun too but not as fun as the dirt and water. Now we are confined to the sandbox. We still do our roads and castles but no mud cakes.

When I was growing up my grandmothers were too busy to even sit down and chat with me let alone play a game with me, or read a book to me. Kids were to be seen and not heard when I was growing up. When my daughter told me she was pregnant, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to be like my grandmothers. I was going to grow up with my grandson. And that is just what I am doing. I have played with the baby rattles, squeeze toys, little and big cars and trucks, you name the little boys toys and I probably played with it with my grandson.

So what I am saying, if you are a grandparent, make time for your grandchildren. The reward is never ending.