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The Big Tuna -- Invitation to Write #35

For Writers:

Until I was 10 or so, we’d travel out to Idaho every summer to visit my mom’s parents and siblings. Grandma and Grandpa Olsen always treated me like an individual, which really surprised me -- not only because I was just a kid, but also because all of mom’s siblings lived in the area and had big familes of their own, while we only came out once a year from Illinois.

Grandma’s kitchen had a big walk-in pantry, and I was allowed to go in to find whatever I wanted to eat. One time I decided to eat a can of tuna, and from that moment forward, I became the grandchild that ate tuna straight from the can. No mayo, no bread, nothing. Just a whole can of tuna.

For what ever reason, this really impressed my grandparents, and the following summer when we returned, they surprised me by buying an entire case of tuna just for me.

Growing up, what kind of relationship did you have with your grandparents? Was it the kind that you would have wished for? If so, why? And if not, what was lacking, or what do you wish would have been different?

“Have children while you parents are still young enough to take care of them.” – Rita Rudner

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