GRAND Magazine - Summer 2022 - 16

grandparent bragging zone
Rocks and roly-polys
I
BY SUSAN J. DECUIR
t was a beautiful June Saturday morning in
Carrollton, Texas, and to my delight, my son-inlaw,
Scot, brought our three-year-old grandson,
Evan, with him when he came over to help my husband,
Ron, (Pop to Evan) clean out our attic.
His sky-blue-eyes sparkling, Evan begged, " Come
play with me, Nana. " Like a trained puppy, I followed
him into the backyard. Right away he headed
for Pop's rock garden by the patio, scooped up a
handful of pebbles, and sifted them through his
fingers. A boy thing, I discerned. Then, faster than
Superman, I felt something whiz past my head.
" No, Evan. " I scolded in my soft Nana voice.
" They're not for throwing. If you hit someone with
a rock, it could hurt them. " Someone like Nana, I
thought. He scrunched his brow, considered the
possibility, and thankfully obeyed. I could see by
the twinkle in his eyes that a new plan was in the
making in that busy little brain of his.
My caution antenna perked up when he picked
up a new handful of rocks and headed for the
glass-top patio table. " Be careful, " I warned, explaining
that glass can easily break. Flashing his playful
grin, Evan released his treasures onto the table, as
carefully as a little boy is able, without incident.
" Let's sort them by size and color and then count
them, " I suggested, gathering the pinks and reds.
That game lasted about three minutes. Back to the
rock garden he went.
" Pop bought these colorful little rocks from the
lawn and garden store, " I explained. " But these big
rocks, " I pointed, " are souvenirs from vacations
that Nana and Pop took your mommy on when
she was a little girl. " Try explaining souvenir to a
three-year-old.
I sat in the shade of the patio and watched while
he poked at the big rocks, finally tipping one over.
" What's that, Nana? " he gasped, pointing toward
the ground beneath the rock, his eyes huge with
wide-eyed wonder.
I smiled. " It's a bug called a Roly-Poly. They like
to hide under rocks where it's cool. They don't
16 GRAND Summer 2022
bite, but some bugs do, " I explained. " Watch this. " I
gently nudged the tiny bug with my pointer finger.
Evan giggled when the agile arthropod rolled itself
into a tight little armored ball.
Evan asked, " Why did he do that, Nana? " and I
replied, " To protect himself. He doesn't know that
we won't hurt him. We'll just play with him for a
while. But be gentle, like Mommy asks you to be
with your baby sister, " I emphasized with a wink
and a hug. " Be real still, and soon he'll stretch out
again. "
We watched and waited when, suddenly, the
frightened little black bug started twisting and turning
his body in every direction and wiggling his
seven sets of his legs through the air, until at last he
turned himself upright then quickly scurried away
trying to escape us. But Evan caught up with him.
Using caution, he reached toward his newfound
discovery and gave him a gentle shove, and then
another, and then another, and - well, you know.
Boys will be boys. I'm thirsty, Nana, " Evan yawned.
Susan J. Decuir, lives in Carrollton,
Texas with her husband, Ron, of
nearly 43 years. She loves to read,
write, and spend time with her three
grandchildren, Evan, Emma, and Ava.
Susan with grandson, Evan
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GRAND Magazine - Summer 2022

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