How many children do you have?
3

How many grandchildren?
6 soon to be 7 in July 2021

What are their ages?
18- Cam
16-Laila
14-Isaiah
12-Langston
11-Jaydin
8-Tati

Any great grandchildren?
No

What do your grandchildren call you?
Grandma. I tried GrandDiva with the first grandchild, but it did not work.

After the initial elation, what was your first concern upon hearing you would soon be a grandmother?
It made me feel old and I didn’t like it, that’s why I said, he’s going to call me GrandDiva.

How often do you get to see your grandchildren?
One set of my grands live nearby so I can see them when I want too. The other set lives between Mom and Dad, so I don’t see them as often as I would like to.

What is the best thing about being a grandma?
I get to decide when I want to hangout with them, and I get to decide what I want to do with them. The things we do has changed over the year. In the beginning we did fun things like story time, playing with playdoh, painting, making cookies, gingerbread houses, Easter egg hunts, and backyard things. I would plan and set up the space, so it looked like a child care center.

Now since they are older, we do other things like a shopping trip, boat rides, take trips to Amusement Parks like Hershey Park, visit the other set of grand kids, sleepovers at Grandmas house, we visit museums, they come for a week in the Summer and we do College visits, go to the pool, in-door amusement parks, etc. The summer before COVID we did a crab-feast at Grandmas and some time we do Grandmas Brunch, where I make all of their favorite breakfast foods.

What is the most challenging part of being a grandma?
The age differences between the two sets means that I have to be more intentional in my planning of activities. The younger ones like more physical activities, while the older ones like different things.

In addition to "grandmother," what other hats do you wear?
I work as a College Professor, I am a wife, and I have hobbies of my own. I recently started my own Grandmas organization. It’s called Grandmas2.0.

Describe a recent time that one (or more) of your grandchildren made you laugh out loud.
One of my grandsons said to the other grands at a birthday celebration for me “guess what guys, I know a secret”, “I know how old Grandma is” Everyone said, “we all know that Grandma is 26”. He said no, my Dad told me her real age” I looked at him and he looked at me and I said, “Langston don’t you tell it”. At that same time, my youngest granddaughter said Langston don’t you tell Grandmas secret. “Stop bullying her.” Everyone laughed. It was hilarious. I had been telling them for years that I was 26.

What is your favorite thing to do with grandchildren who visit your house?
Either cook for them or order their favorite foods and just pig out with them.

What is your favorite thing to do when visiting grandchildren at their house?
Since the pandemic, I sometimes take them lunch and we hangout together. Its very casual.

What/where has been your favorite family vacation?
We all went on a boat ride on the Chesapeake Bay last summer for my birthday. That was fun! All the Grands were there.

How do you maintain the bond between yourself and your grandchildren between visits?
Sometimes I text them and sometimes I Facetime them. When I call their house, I always say tell my Grands I said hello and I love them.

What do you most want to pass along to your grandchildren?
A good work ethic, financial literacy, being successful, how to show people that you love them, and a love of family!

What is one word you hope your grandkids think of when they think of you?
Loving. Grandma was good to us! Grandmas showed us that she loved us.

What is one thing (or more) you're proud to say you do right as a grandma?
I show them that I love them all the time.

What one bit of advice would you give a new grandma?
The most important thing you can do for your grandchildren is to show them how special they are to you. The time goes by so fast and you want it to be special for both you and them.

Is there anything else you would you like to add about being a grandmother?
Being a grandma has been so rewarding, it keeps me young, it keeps me focused on being successful because I want to be a role model for them.

Do you have a website or blog? What is the URL and what is it about?
Yes, http://www.grandmas2point0.com. It is about coaching Grandmas to be the best version of themselves. Grandmas2.0 is about coaching Grandmas to redefine who they are and more importantly to redefine who they are not! We provide events, resources, information, partnerships, and coaching for Grandmas only.

Do you have other works you'd like to share (published books or articles, charitable causes to promote, home biz, etc)?
I am in the process of writing a book now about Gorgeous Grandmas. Please visit me on FB: @grandmas2.0 and IG: @grandmas2.0