Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with grandmother

i am a terrible human being

seesom — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:01:08 -0800

Yesterday was mothers day. I sent her a card/flowers and called. I completely forgot about both of my grandmothers who are the most wonderful loving caring people. Argh, I feel terrible. what should i do? if you were them, what would you want? send a card and call? thanks.

Best On The Road Tablet For Grandma?

HostBryan — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 13:41:56 -0800

I need to find a tablet and a good mobile data plan for my road-trippin' grandmother. So my grandfather asks me a few months back if I knew what a good tablet would be for my grandmother, who wants to have something to use on their regular road trips. My grandparents are relatively young and highly ambulatory, making regular sojourns between Michigan and Oklahoma, Oklahoma and Texas, and driving around from place to place within whatever state they're in at the time.

Here's basically what I need.

1) She's not the savviest tech user. The simpler, the better. Which also means it needs to be reliable.

2) She needs the tablet for checking Facebook/browsing the Internet, maybe playing some simple games, some reading, etc. You know. Standard grandma tablet stuff. She's not going to try to put Ubuntu on this thing, so she won't really care if it's open-source or not.

3) Because they move around so much, mobile data is vitally important. It needs to be reliable and ideally a decent speed.

4) They're both retired and as such something toward the cheaper end of the spectrum would be ideal.

Based on these criteria and after months of research, I've got a few ideas:

Kindle Fire HD - I'm a big Amazon fan, and while I haven't had the pleasure of fiddling with a Fire I know their stuff tends to be relatively easy to use. The Kindle Fire HD (w/ads) is $199, fitting the low-cost aspect. I don't think the ads would bother her, because they certainly don't bother me on my basic Kindle e-reader. I'm not sure about the thing's web browser or other capabilities, but I know for game and multimedia apps it should be pretty solid. I've heard it has some performance issues, though, and the fact that it is so thoroughly integrated into Amazon might cause some problems.

Nook HD+: My other grandmother has a Nook tablet and she loves it. It's reasonably inexpensive, and it looks relatively easy to use. But I'm a little leery of investing in the Barnes & Noble ecosystem, since I'm not convinced it'll be around in a few years and it doesn't support other online stores. I also don't know much about its web browsing capability.

Google Nexus 7: This is the one all the tech blogs say is the best, and the price point is right. It'd be my first choice except it runs Android and I have some reservations about setting her up with that. I don't have a lot of experience with it, and knowing that it has more moving parts than your average tablet OS I might not be able to help her as much with it.

iPad/iPad mini: If money weren't an object I'd just tell her to get one of these and be done with it. But it is.

Now as far as the data plans, I'm at a bit of a loss. I don't really want to get them set up with a contract, but I also want to make sure they get a good deal on a quality network. NetZero is currently offering half off their mobile broadband devices, and has pretty OK data plans. That would be pretty simple and she could just use any of the WiFi-only tablets with it. But I don't know if I can get better data plans elsewhere, nor do I know if the Netzero network is any good.

So I pose it to the most knowledgeable and good-looking online community in existence - what should I recommend? If you need additional information I'll be happy to provide it.

I can't think of one, I'm exhausted

malibustacey9999 — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 05:24:38 -0800

My 90 year old grandmother is barely conscious, rarely eating, and is losing her mental faculties. I visit her every lunchtime to try and get her to eat. My mother (her daughter) takes the evening shift for dinnertime. I'm not coping well. Any suggestions to help me make this easier, so I'm not sobbing my heart out every day? She's now at the stage where she struggles to lift her head from her chest. Today for the first time, she let me spoonfeed her, but she only had about two or three teaspoons of food. She kept falling asleep between spoonfuls, I asked the staff (after ringing my mother - who worked as an aged care nurse when I was a kid - in a panic) what to do. They advised that I keep her awake as long as possible, and get what food I can into her.

I did. I got a few vegies into her, and when she went into a deep sleep, I gently removed the plate, wiped her mouth, and told her I love her. She slept on.

This is so fucking HARD. This woman taught me to play scrabble, told me family secrets that should not have been kept from me, told me that I was her favourite grand-daughter for the last 40 years..

I'm not coping with her dying slowly. She always said she wanted to 'fly to glory to be with her Lord' and leaving aside the fact that I don't believe in glory or her Lord, I just want her to go, and be in peace and pain-free. She was a dignified proper lady, and she would be mortified to know how she is now. Her body is failing, her mind is failing, she doesn't recognise me (her favourite grand-daughter) or my kids.

I just want her to go. And I'm terrified that she won't, that we'll be spoonfeeding her for months or years to come, while the rest of her children, grand-children and great-grandchildren go about their merry lives without the seven-day-a-week-care-component that my mother and I have (willingly) taken on.

I guess my question is two-fold:

1) how do I strengthen myself to get through the daily lunchtimes, when she can barely eat, and when she is lucid argues with me about eating and usually refuses to allow me to feed her; and

2) how do I get past the bitterness I feel about the rest of the family who really don't give a sideways fuck about her, but are suddenly ringing or texting or messaging me every day because they are 'so concerned'?

I guess the final question would be, how do I hold my tongue when I want to tell them all what I think of them, when Nanna has died, and they all suddenly find they can find the time to hop on a plane to attend her service?

Grandma is lost.

functionequalsform — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:06:10 -0800

Friend's grandma is lost in San Francisco. Not good. What are some resources? Posting for shy lurker Simulare. (Yes, I promise to get him active around here.)

His grandmother has been lost in San Francisco for 24 hours, and is likely confused and/or frightened. Simulare is flying out there, and yes - his brother has filed a missing persons report, but is there any other measures that could be taken?

If there are specific questions, please direct them to him! He's monitoring the thread.

Thanks guys!

Need a Mother's Day gift for grandma

bq — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 15:56:12 -0800

I need a great mother's day gift for my new baby's wonderful grandmas. I have a baby who is less than 1 year old. Both sets of grandparents have been wonderfully helpful and supportive. I would like to get my mother and mother-in-law a special present for their first Mother's Day as the grandparent to my child (first grandchild on one side, 2nd on the other).

They are very difficult to buy for as they basically have everything, need nothing, and have very narrow tastes. MIL likes golf & bridge and is a former librarian. M is into art history and horses. Food or drink is RIGHT OUT. Fancy bath stuff I did last year. Scarves, jewelry etc would be well-received but sometimes are a 'miss' because of personal style. Experiences (hot air balloon, whale watching, etc.) would be, well, tolerated. I've run out of time to make photo books (although I will probably do that for Father's Day). Technology - they're not up for it. Basically these people are impossible to shop for.

If you can think of any inspiration for me to work with I would love it. I am thinking along the lines of the classic silver rattle or engraved pacifier clip keepsakes, but something for grandmas?

What amazing things have you learned from your grandparents?

lalex — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:02:05 -0800

My grandmother, who I am close with and value deeply, is in her 90s and still sharp as a tack. What questions should I ask her about her life? Lately I've had this nagging feeling that I don't have much time left to learn more about her adventures, the experiences she's had living through historic events, or the perspective she's gained from spending close to a century on this planet. I would like start recording some of her memories and thoughts on life.

I don't really know where to start, and would love to hear ideas from other Mefites about good questions or topics I shouldn't forget. What amazing things have you learned from your grandparents?

How many grandmothers will die in two months?

Meatbomb — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:55:12 -0800

Actuarial / statistics geeks: a puzzle for you. You are on a two month training program with a group of Korean teachers of English.

There are 20 teachers, ranging in age between late 20s to early 50s.

How many of their grandmothers are likely to die during the course?

Consider the current months (October-November) as the timeframe. Assume the grandmothers are all residents of Daegu, Korea.

I probably cannot provide any more specifics than those, but if you want clarification I will try.

Let's put all the pieces together.

wundermint — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:31:01 -0800

Where can I find the best jigsaw puzzle for my puzzle-loving grandmom? My 85-year-old grandmother is wild about jigsaw puzzles. They are her gaming addiction. Every year for the past several years I've bought her one for Christmas, and recently have been challenging her by getting increasingly difficult ones. I've had random luck getting puzzles at the mall or even thrift stores, but nothing so far this year has looked good. I've searched online and been bombarded with crappy illustrations and generally disappointing results. Help me find the perfect puzzle!
Here are some specs:

- Must be 1000+ pieces, preferably 1500+.
- No Thomas Kinkade or puppy/kitten illustrated puzzles. Classy, interesting photos and artwork only. (I know, so elitist!)
- I want to stay away from the 3D/gimmicky puzzles, no matter how cool. She's a fan of the classic, flat, jigsaw puzzle and I don't want to blow her mind too much.

Your jigsaw puzzle ideas are appreciated!

What to read to my ill grandmother

pised — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:55:42 -0800

In search of something to read to my ill grandmother. My 87-year-old grandmother recently broke her hip while in the long-term care facility she lives in (it broke from osteoporosis, not a fall). She's in terrible pain and in failing health, and the last time I went to see her, it broke my heart to watch her in so much pain. She got a shot of painkiller while I was there, but the shot took 20 minutes to relieve the pain and she had nothing to concentrate on while she was waiting for it to work (she doesn't have a television in her room, only a radio, which is background music more than anything). I'll be there this weekend and want to read to her to try to take her mind off the pain, so I'm looking for short, simple books or stories to read to her, something sweet and easy for her to follow.

Her short-term memory is shot from previous strokes, so she won't retain it for very long; probably the shorter the story, the better for any chance that she'll be able to follow the story. I just want her to have a soothing voice or cadence to focus on, rather than me just assuring her every couple of minutes that the meds are going to work soon. Poetry would probably be ok too. Thanks.

Grandmother Filter

pamspanda — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 03:52:42 -0800

Grandmother filter: What do your grandchildren call you? What do your grandchildren call you other that Grandma or Grandmother? Did they come up with the nickname on their own or is it a name that you selected to be called?

Does the nickname have a story behind it? Let me know - thank you!

When you really just need to say No!

dancinglamb — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 16:34:32 -0800

How can I convey to my Mother that she is not welcome to be part of my children's lives? (very long, sordid details inside) Oh, where to start on this one. My parents divorced when I was six years old, my father died when I was 10. My brother (35) and I (38) were more or less raised by my mother (68). It was anything but an easy childhood, and looking back it has become glaringly clear that she is dealing with an unmedicated borderline personality disorder (I've discussed her symptoms at length with psych professionals and they all seem to point in this direction).

My maternal grandparents were very, very instrumental in my brother's and my upbringing, as they knew just how undependable my mother could be. It wasn't unusual at all for her to have the highest of highs, where she would spend her paycheques (she always had jobs, but it wasn't unusual for her to get fired for, uh, not being cooperative) on things redecorate the house instead of paying for the utilities. So, we never knew if we would have electric or if the phone would be on when we got home from school. Then there were the occasions where she would spend entire weeks on the couch watching TV in her bathrobe surrounded by empty cereal bowls and ice cream containers. My friends kind of all knew that she was crazy, and their parents took pity on us. As such, we always kind of had open invitations to dinner at their houses, or knew we could spend the night if she was on one of her crazy/mean benders.

I moved out when I was 17, after I found out that she intentionally didn't fill out any of my financial aid forms for college. She told me that I didn't deserve to go, and that since I didn't save enough of my part time money from my jobs (I worked from when I was 15; she charged me $300/mo to live at home), she wasn't going to help me, either. She also forbade my grandparents from helping me. So, with that, I said fuck it, got a second job, and found a room to rent. It was several months before I even told her where I went. (My brother made it out of the house at 18 when he joined the military.)

So, needless to say, our relationship has been very off and on again. And it's been one where I've never had a problem telling her how I've felt. Sometimes the relationship would be great - usually much better on the phone than in person (I'm in NJ, she's in FL), other times, not so much.

She did come up for my wedding, and was mostly well behaved. Fast forward two years to my first daughter's birth, and I was very clear that I didn't want her there immediately. The first visit was three months afterward. It was somewhat stressful, in that I was completely undermined in all things parenting-related - but that's nothing surprising. Where I drew the final straw, however, was when she informed me that I was not paying enough attention to Mr. dancinglamb (because I wasn't ironing his shirts, but sending them to the laundry instead), or waiting at the door to give him a kiss and asking about his day. She kindly informed me that, and I quote, "There are many much more attractive women that would be happy to take much better care of him" and that I better get my act together. She, instead, would wait for him at the door with a very un-MIL-like hug and kiss (as if to show an example?!!) Um, yeah. OK. With that, I threw her out of the apartment. I also caught her with my engagement ring on, saying that it looked much better on her...

I think it was probably a good four months before I talked to her again after that. My second daughter was born two years later and I had some pretty serious complications after delivery, where I ended up in ICU for a week. Mr. dancinglamb was really freaked out, with a toddler and newborn home, and decided to call my mother. I told him that he really needed to think that one out, but he was in a panic. Wellllllll, really, really bad idea. Long story short, I got phone calls every day informing me that it was, "Such a shame that I couldn't be there at home, because I was missing out on how much my daughter was changing each day." Mr. dancinglamb, THE most laidback person I probably know, actually told his Mother in Law to Fuck Off. The morning I was discharged, I ended up in a screaming match on the frontlawn (nice scene, indeed), where I threw her out once again.

Two years later (I know, I know). She made all kinds of crying apologies, saying how much she wanted to change. That she was on meds! That she wanted to be part of the girls' lives! The girls were 2 and 4yo respectively. Mr. dancinglamb and I needed to go to Washington, DC for two nights for a family event (not kid friendly). My mother *jumped* at the opportunity to come up and stay with them. She had been reasonably normal on the phone for months. I told her that this was her absolute last opportunity to redeem herself and that I would hold true to my word. She yes'd me to death, promising that everything would be fine, etc. etc.

Well, it couldn't have gone worse. Apparently she wasn't on meds. Within 24 hours, she had downed three bottles of wine, called my cell to inform me that my kids were, "ungrateful little bitches" (yeah, at 2 and 4yo) because they broke snow globes she bought them, and that it was once again a demonstration of my failure as a parent. I had to have a friend come get them out of the house (we were 5+ hours away). My friend got there the next morning, my 2yo couldn't be found at first - but then was located sleeping in my bed. They hadn't been fed, or their clothes changed. My older daughter told me that Grandma had hit and kicked the dogs. The $200 I left for groceries was gone, but there was no food purchased.

I found out all of this from my friend as I was driving as fast as I could back from DC. All the while getting nasty calls from my mother. I informed her that if she was still in the house by the time I got there, to fully expect the police to be called. Her response, "You're a bitch, and you're over reacting." She was gone when I got home. My kids cried and didn't talk for a day. I didn't have any contact with her for 2-1/2 years.

My mother sent me flowers for my birthday in October. I called to say thank you. She more or less knew the vague details of my life thanks to my brother (he's in distant contact with her). She can't call my home phone because I have her numbers blocked, but she's been calling my cell. I've spoken with her three times in the past two months (her birthday, and Thanksgiving). She keeps asking to speak to the girls. They have no idea who she is. I don't want to open that door. I simply can't trust her.

How do I deal with this? I know it's easy to say she's a crazy motherfucker, how could you even *consider* talking to her, but it's not that cut and dried. I have three remaining family members left (my mother, brother, and my mother's sister).

If you're still with me after the epic saga, I appreciate it. I know it's drama at it's highest...

Thanks.

Grandmother will trade Pot Roast for Political Roast

pointystick — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:37:29 -0800

My grandmother wants to watch Obama and McCain in the Smith dinner again (and again!) She has dialup internet, and is about as net savvy as one would expect. Can the hivemind help? I just talked to my 80 year old grandmother and she was tickled at the jokes from the Senators in the roast last night. She liked that the humor was clean and self deprecating and a nice break from all the campaign negativity. (She's a sweetheart, my gran). She says she wishes she could see them again and watch them from time to time. They're on YouTube, but her internet is slow; I think she'd be better watching on a DVD or at least as a file on her computer.
Any ideas? Do they sell these things on DVD? Is it available for download?
Other info:
She has a Mac. I have a PC and cable internet.
I am in no hurry, though I am driving to her state tonight to visit.
Disclaimer: This question should not be construed to mean that I would even dream of violating copyright law to make a lovely old lady happy.

My grandma likes to play with the intnernets.

phunniemee — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:13:53 -0800

What are some good online games for my 84 year old grandmother? In the last year, my grandma has learned how to "use" the internet, which for her means emails and clicking on links I send to her in emails. She really gets a kick out of it and I know it makes her feel really with-it, and I think she'd really enjoy playing some games that aren't solitaire.

The requirements:
-The games must be intuitive--play by either simple clicks of the mouse or use of the arrow keys/spacebar.
-Explicit directions are given for each task (i.e. no escape-the-room games), or they are based on well-known games. Simple puzzle games are great, but something a little more spectacular than a crossword puzzle or word search.
-Grandma safe. No bad words, limited violence (I think she'd be fine with "killing" a really cartoonish character, if it were funny), no extreme flashing colors, no heinous music (though a cheerful tune and/or sound effects are great).
-Must not be time-limited. A timer tracking how long she takes (where she tries to beat her own fastest time) would be just fine, but something where she can't win unless she goes a certain speed will cause her to click wildly and the next thing I know I'm getting a phone call saying that she'd "love to email me but she deleted the google".
-Must be pretty. (She has all the standard plugins installed and I can walk her through a new one without much issue, so go hog-wild.) Let's show her how nicely the internet has progressed since 2002 and give her something her 84 year old friends haven't seen yet so she can show off after bridge club.

Thanks!

Help with ideas for a book?

adfeb — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:35:07 -0800

My grandmother used to write me a few handwritten notes each day ranging from a few words to a couple of pages. At age 11 I started saving them. I have thousands of notes saved, about 20 years worth. She was a real crazy woman and some of the notes are hilarious. I want to somehow incorporate them into a book. Any ideas on how to go about doing that?

Quality intergenerational time that transcends disabilities

moreandmoreso — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:26:57 -0800

What activities can I initiate with my substantially-deaf, substantially-blind grandfather? I am 23. A while ago I moved to the same metropolitan area as my grandparents. Grandpa's vision and hearing have been going downhill for a while, leading to his increasing frustration. Grandma is not experiencing such problems. Help me make the most of our quality time together, either just with Grandpa or with both. I could meet with them up to twice a month either alone or with other family members.

They are in their mid-80s and still live in their own lake-front house. They walk (slowly) for exercise every morning and manage to do most of the things they need to do around the house on their own. Active activities would generally be difficult.

The current pattern of activity is Grandma invites 3 of us over for dinner, we chat over dinner, and Grandpa misses most of the conversation. If you take care to speak loudly, slowly, and in his direction, he understands most of it.

General suggestions are welcome, but if you need something to get your imagination going... Grandpa was a chemist before he retired and is interested in science, ancient civilizations, Italy, fiction writing, classical guitar/jazz music and harassing squirrels. He taught me to play chess. Grandma reads the newspaper and crossword puzzles aloud to him every day.

Perhaps activities specifically geared to stimulate touch, taste or smell would be engaging?

Grandmothers, "presents" that aren't really presents, etc.

danny boy — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 09:10:04 -0800

I need a little help on a petty family argument . . . So, we're married and have an infant baby. One of the grandmothers showed up from out of town and gave us some presents, including--and here's the rub--a Halloween costume for the baby's "first Halloween" in a few months.

Would you find this 1) kind of sweet, 2) slightly annoying but would just go along with it, 3) boundary-overstepping behavior but would passively aggressively not use the costume and otherwise leave sleeping dogs lie, 4) so annoying that you would make a big issue out of refusing the costume and making your own, which will make everyone upset but will stop this from happening again.

Dirty Jokes for Grandma

sciurus — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 14:52:42 -0800

What are some good, somewhat dirty jokes suitable for telling to my Grandma? I'm not looking for Aristocrats-type jokes, just slightly dirty things.

My grandma really likes dirty jokes, used to watch Springer regularly, but she's also the kind of grandma who uses words like Davenport and always acts proper in public. After a vodka or two she lets loose a bit and likes hearing a dirty joke to two.

Once again, nothing really CRUDE, so much as naughty.

Thanks!

Dealing with my racist grandma.

brevator — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 07:21:51 -0800

Looking for advice on dealing with my racist grandmother. My grandmother found out that my brother is dating a Korean woman. She refused to hug him and walked out of the house. My mother told her to grow up.

She's dealt with my uncle marrying a non-Jew, but they live on the other side of the country now. She seems allright with me dating a non-Jew, but I suspect it would get rough if we got engaged.

I thought this would cool down after a while, but it's been three weeks and no progress. She says "I always wondered what I'd die of and now I know- a broken heart." She also refers to my brother's girlfriend as a "Chinamen" (not to her face, thank god, they haven't met) and says "They all look the same." It's like she's been reading the 1975 edition of "Bigot's Best Quotes."

My grandmother is not an easy woman to deal with and my mother is perfectly fine with leaving her out of family stuff until she can act more maturely. I'd be okay with this strategy except that she's an 89 year old widow with no friends (her only friend was dumped after she told my grandmother that no one at the mahjong club liked her), and will probably die without a social network. Despite all this bullshit, I do love my grandmother and would rather her not die ostracized and alone.

Anyone been through something like this? Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Looking for Non-sappy poems about grandmothers

Julnyes — Fri, 10 Feb 2006 07:01:53 -0800

I have been tasked with reciting a poem at my grandmother's 75th birthday celebration? Any suggestions I thought about writing one myself, but that is going nowhere. I starting looking for poems written about grandmothers online and all I can find are treacly sweet things or ones focusing on eminent death.

I am looking for suggestions that aren't about death or that speak about the grandmother like she is made of sugar and spice and is soft as dough. My grandmother is none of those things.

Any suggestions for poems that are more like the first stanza of Byron's "She Walks in Beauty, Like the Night":

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies,
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meets in her aspect and her eyes;
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which Heaven to gaudy day denies.

Any help would be appreciated -- thanks.

How can I preserve and share my grandmother's final writings?

aebaxter — Fri, 09 Dec 2005 11:00:42 -0800

Help me preserve and share my grandmother's final writings. Before she died, my grandmother started to write down in an old Mead composition book everything she could remember about her genealogical history and her life . She only wrote about 20 pages before she passed away, but I would like to preserve these pages for as long as possible. The notebook was old anyway (the pages are already starting to yellow) and she just used a ballpoint pen - no archival ink or anything like that. I would like to hear suggestions on the best way to preserve these pages (should I tear them out of the notebook? leave the notebook intact? lock it in a vault somewhere?) as well as suggestions for the best way to share this treasure with my mother. Should I type it up, scan in the pages, or create a website? Do something with the original pages?

Junior detectives required

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Apr 2005 20:02:07 -0800

How would someone go about finding about the estate and/or will of a relative you just found out died? I received a package in the mail the other day saying I was listed as the beneficiary on my grandmother's pension fund. The date of death listed was April, 2004. I didn't know she had died. There are a variety of factors involved here, that I won't go into detail about, so here are the basic facts:

#1 - I have reason to believe that I was listed as the sole beneficiary in her will. I was her only close living relative, plus she informed me of this many years ago.

#2 - She was diagnosed with Dementia and Alzheimer's about 3 years before her death.

#3 - Distant relatives took over care of her during her last years, and may have had a new will made. There is no indication that she would have changed her will in sound mind.

#4 - Due to some of the factors involved, I am unable to contact these distant relatives to just ask them directly.

I am in the US on the west coast and they are on the east coast (which is where my grandmother died). I want to find out if there is a way to see what happened to her estate when she died and/or what her will said. I am looking for brainstorming ideas from people of where they would start the process. I do not know her attorney, banker, or nursing home name. I do know the date of death, her social security number, city and state of where she lived and died. I do not have many funds to hire a detective, and am not money-hungry. Curiousity is my driving factor. Anonymous email for those who desire: bollocks AT fastermail DOT com for additional information and/or suggestions. Thank you.

Senior DVDs

Juicylicious — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 16:49:06 -0800

Please help me pick some dvds for my grandmother. [mi] I purchased a DVD player for my 90 y.o. grandmother a few months back. I also gave her the LOTR special edition, Master & Commander (thought grandpa would like it) and Whalerider. Although she loved the LOTR series in book, she couldn't watch the films because they literally give her nightmares. Anything, film or novel that is at all violent gives her nightmares. Apparently, this is a common problem with the elderly. I think it has something to do with her meds.

Anyway, we watched Whalerider yesterday and she LOVED it. She said it was the best film she had seen in years. I think that she liked that it was a story about a young girl and it ended on an upbeat note.

I want to get her more films in the Whalerider vein but I'm coming up blank. Any recommendations?