After writing and reading last month’s story about Botto’s, I was motivated to look at and listen to Free’s remastered album ‘All Right Now – The Collection’ on Amazon Music.

Singing along to ‘Wishing Well’ and ‘Little Bit Of Love’, I became a tad nostalgic, getting carried away in my karaoke moment; just before I glanced at the clock. Aware of the time, I immediately changed the channel to Peppa Pig, put on my coat and left to pick up my two granddaughters; one from Home Comforts on Medomsley Road and the other from St Patrick’s school.

The requested pizza for tea, had already been lovingly prepared, just waiting to be cooked in the ninja, and the two ice creams were chilling in the freezer.

As we pottered home with book bags, lunch boxes and water bottles, we chatted about how our day had been, and I looked forward to our two precious hours together.

With coats and bags flung on the floor, they both nabbed their favourite seats in the living room and took control of the remote, while I poured apple juice into their preferred beakers. After I carefully placed them on their appointed side tables, Eleanor  and Matilda nodded their approval; while I hurried back to the kitchen and waited for the pizza to cook.

On my return, with eight carefully cut slices which they proceeded to count, I was informed that they had already skipped the adds on the television, paused the programme; and were gleefully tucking in their napkins –  two tea towels –  before demolishing the main body of the pizza – as always – leaving the crusts!

A respective 4 and three quarters and a just turned 3, they know their own minds, and for some reason I seem to be in total sync with them too.

Which got me wondering how and why I feel so connected to them, preempting their wishes and needs, being acutely aware of their moods and feelings.

So I did some investigating –  and to my surprise – I found that a group of researchers, led by an anthropologist and neuroscientist, used ‘functional magnetic resonance imaging’ to look at the brain function and monitor the reactions of 50 volunteer grandmothers.

The conclusion was extremely interesting. The participants in the study, were asked to view photographs of their grandchildren, their own children, and of another unrelated child and adult. Their brain activity showed greater emotional empathy with the younger generation.

In short, as Rilling the study leader explains,

        ‘…they’re really feeling what the grandchild is feeling. So when the child is expressing joy, they’re feeling that joy. When the children are expressing distress, they’re feeling that distress,’

I’m guessing that goes a long way to answering my question and the constant similarities I encounter!

I nodded my head in agreement when I heard the following statements from Eleanor,

‘Grandma, I actually in real life, when I was four, had a taste of Diet Coke and I didn’t like it!  

 I’m all grown up like you now, as I’m allowed to eat whole grapes!’

And Matilda is obviously as impressed as her older sister,

‘Mommar,  Mammy’s only got one toilet, you got 3 toilets – and I use all of them!’

The conclusion of the study stated, 

‘All in all, our findings suggest that emotional empathy may be a key component of grandmaternal responses to their grandchildren’. 

So there you go; it’s a no brainer,

I leave the crusts on my pizza too!