Time together

I spend a fair amount of time with my grandkids since they and my two children live here in Pikesville, within walking distance to me and my wife, Annie. With the advantage of proximity, Annie and I have worked, individually and together, to foster close relationships with our grandchildren. I love watching my children grow into the role of parenthood and watching the joy in my children’s eyes as they pass on to their children the values absorbed from their own childhoods, growth experiences and world view. 

Growing up

I also love Kvelling in the slow maturation of our grandkids, which isn’t as slow as it seems. I love being part of their lives and doing some of the same activities I did with our kids and doing it again. It’s like a second chance to make it even better!

Can you say Saba-Ba!

Participating in the Macks Center for Jewish Education (CJE) Saba-Ba! Program lights the fires under my feet and in my mind to try to get the most out of being a Zaydie. I actually owe this experience to my fantastic wife, Annie who developed Saba-Ba!, a fun and exciting program that provides adult Jewish educational experiences to Baltimore grandparents. What a great opportunity it has been for me and my grandchildren!

Whether you’re called Zaydie, or Pops, Gramps or Papa

The perfect program for you and your grandkids is the CJE’s Saba-Ba!

Lots of fun activities like outdoor movie nights.

Sitting on chairs or blankets ‘neath bright star lights.

Enjoying luscious refreshments, popcorn, chips and ices 

Makes these nights some of our nicest.

Tie-dying tee shirts, letting our hands fill with color.

Then wearing them proudly, kvelling with each other.

 Nature hikes on foot and bike 

just you and your grandkids. What’s not to like?

Walking through the fields

Learning about the fruits, flowers and veggies nature yields

Topped off with a campfire, maybe make s’mores

With someone else to do the chores.

Pinball bowling, sharing strikes and spares.

If it’s raining outside, no one cares.

Saba-Ba! is all about making and extending connections.

We can make our own histories without well-intended corrections.

Sharing our growing up stories. 

Amazing our grandkids sharing our own childhood values and glories.

All these great activities connecting our generations.

Engendering many mutual adorations.

A bonus for me is that these activities also touch on Jewish learning

About the fun we can have on some Jewish Holidays, keeping little Jewish minds 

Happily churning.

I guess you can tell that I enjoyed the Saba-Ba!  programs.

I think, so will you.

It’s not just for Grams. It’s for us men of all ages and our grandkids too.