CHRISTINE
Who am I? Click here, but also read further
I’m Christine Schneider, grandmother of five (with a sixth on the way). When I began watching my two youngest grandchildren over two years ago, I was immediately overwhelmed by the realization that I was not merely a caregiver. My job wasn’t just to keep these two babies from damaging themselves. I was raising my son’s children – his heirs. I needed to contribute to their upbringing in a way that would be in line with how they would raise them if the circumstances were different.
So, I needed to protect them, feed them, change their diapers, and give them exercise. More importantly – from an eternal standpoint – I needed to provide an environment that would stimulate their brains and nurture their hearts.
My life had to change. Gone were the flexible schedule, the spontaneous trips to the store, and my guilty pleasure of watching HGTV during the day. I laid it all aside gladly, but I did feel inadequate. All I had as resources were my memories of raising my own children thirty years earlier.
If you type in “Grandmothers caring for grandchildren” into your internet search engine, you will find much on legal issues, finding government money, and taking care of yourself. What I needed was ideas to fill the many hours I spent with these precious children. How could I keep them busy – productively busy – yet contribute to their mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being?
This blog is a collection of my ideas, most of them original with me, although undoubtedly others have had the same idea I have had. (“There is nothing new under the sun.”)
I am a published author of two historical novels and several women’s Bible study guides. I have a wonderful husband, Floyd, two sons who make me proud, two excellent daughters-in-law, and those wonderful grandchildren.
