Sally and her granddaughterHow many children do you have? Two children, a girl and boy.

How many grandchildren? What are their ages? Oh my, I have eight grandchildren.  Travis 17, Shoshanna 15, Latisha 12, Jaedan 11, Cian 10, Taila 9, Elizabeth 8 & the youngest is 5 1/2.  I can’t name her due to the fact that a government department has custody of her and we have additional guardianship and they don’t permit naming of children who are in their custody.

Any great grandchildren? Not that I am aware of and hopefully not for many years.  Have enough grandchildren to keep track of.

What do your grandchildren call you? All my grandchildren call me Sally; the youngest who we are raising calls me Grandma.

Sleeping with Poly-EstherHow often do you get to see your grandchildren? As often as we can.  Two of my grandchildren live in Christchurch in the South Island, 5 live in New Plymouth in the middle of the North Island which makes the commute to see them rather difficult.  To go to Christchurch we have to fly or drive to New Plymouth.

What is the best thing about being a grandma? For me the most wonderful thing about being a grandmother is the hugs and hearing my granddaughter say to me “I love you and you’ll never leave me.”  I love seeing the joy on her beautiful face when she comes home from school, climbs on my lap and gives me the best cuddle in the world. To watch her pretty face light up when she has lovingly picked a flowering weed for me.  The list is endless because whatever she does for me is the best part of being a grandmother.

Off to a disco.What is the most challenging part of being a grandma? The most challenging part for me is the battles that sometimes take place.  To make an instant decision on which battle I need to back down on and which one is important enough to keep saying no to. Even when she cries I have to stay resolute in my decision that this time no means no. 

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud. My husband and I recently had our wedding anniversary.  When we told our granddaughter she turned to me and said “Grandma you’ll have to wear your wedding dress all day.”

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house? Just to be with them and to participate in whatever they are doing is special.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house? Due to distance unfortunately this does not happen very frequently. However, having said that, if I did go to visit, just being with them is what would make me happy.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits? The best way it works for me is by emailing, texting and phone calls.

Lunch time at Hororata ChristchurchWhat do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren? Raising a grandchild 24/7 allows me to pass on so many things to my beautiful granddaughter that to single out one thing is impossible.  I want to instil in her that she can be whatever she wants to be, but to have good manners and be polite to others will go a long way in achieving her goal.  To make her understand that not everyone is as fortunate as her but that everyone deep down as good qualities and that she shouldn’t judge someone on their appearance.

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you? Unconditional Love

Visit Sally on her website, Raising Grandchildren, and her Facebook Group, Raising Grandchildren.