Absense

This is something that I've thought about often and I reckon there will be quite a lot of it in the future.
As a child, I was somewhat different to my peers. Yes, a lot of us were from immigrant stock down the lines but my dad came to SA in the 60's and not with his parents. So I was one of a few kids who had grandparents in another country. I didn't suffer through this, I had a most lovely set of grandparents and a great granny who never made me feel like I was lacking in grandparent duties. Bearing in mind, this was pre internet and email and Skype, we connected via 'snail' mail and sporadic phone calls. And I met my grandparents a few times. I really did feel I knew them from the stories my dad told of his mom and dad and his Granny Young and his siblings. The cousins who were close to me in age, we corresponded via letter.
It's only when I started to live in England, that I realised I didn't know my English Nana at all really. And I got a taste of how my Jo'burg cousins must have felt about my SA Nana. For once, I wasn't the favoured grandchild.
Now she is coming to the end of her years and I do wish I had known her more. My son on the other hand, DOES know her well and is devastated that she's so ill.
This isn't a blog about her though - that will come later. I will say that I wish she had been born in my generation, she was so talented with her hands yet her generation wasn't afforded the oppurtunities or chances mine was.
My blog purpose is basically, that with people immigrating to Australia from her, from South Africa to here and so on, there will be a whole new generation of kids who will know their grandparents via Skype. And that makes me sad. I think my son has been so lucky to have my mom and dad at his side, his whole life. I know he feels the same. Often he had remarked that he's so lucky to see his Granny and Grandad almost every day, as his friends sometimes only see theirs at the holiday times. I love that he will look back when he is my age and remember doing so much with them - much like I do with memories about my SA nana. He will remember a trip to Scotland with his granddad (the real Scotland, not the one we made up - although I'm sure he will remember that trick too), he'll remember cooking with Granny and possibly the day our life turned upside down when she had her stroke. He'll remember going to Cape Town with his mom and Granny and then recall having a "Boys Week" with Grandad when I went to SA with my mom.

So in respect, I'm glad I didn't uproot him and move when I wanted to. There! I've said it, and I never thought I'd say that, because in truth, the only thing that keeps me rooted to this spot of the world is the fact my parents are here, and my son is happiest when we are all around.