Tuesdays with Jack: a grandmother's love and a little boy's brilliance

As new parents, we’re inevitably advised to record the funny actions and observations made by our children. “Or you’ll be sure to forget!” The chaos of the busy days indeed steals those moments from us. Pauline Daniel is a savvy Grandmother who has learned not only to record her grandson Jack’s little moments but to share them too. Those little gems grew into regular Facebook posts and now into Tuesdays with Jack, a memoir of the time spent with her young grandson on their standing Tuesday date during his pre-school years. Her observations are not only about Jack and his wisdom but also about her own personal transitions and the things Jack has helped her notice about her life. It is an honest and heartfelt account.As a modern-day grandmother (or a Baby Boomer Buba as Pauline thinks of herself) she Facebooks, Facetimes, is an entrepreneur, wears hoodies and does Cross Fit. She may not spend the majority of her time in the kitchen but she and Jack do embrace play there and literally whip up some special new traditions. Traditions, new and old, thread through Daniel’s writing but mostly, a Grandmother’s newfound patience, mindfulness, and joy in just ‘being’ in the moment comes to the forefront.Lest this all sound knee deep in inward reflection, please know you will laugh out loud (as Buba does) while wee Jack delivers one innocent blow after another: ‘ “How strong are your muscles, Buba?” I proudly flex my bicep. “What’s that floppy bit?” ‘ or  ‘ “This is your fault Buba.” “What’s my fault?” “Everything!” ‘Phyllis Diller is said to have declared on her way to the delivery room that she was having a child just so she could become a grandmother. If you’re a modern Gran, like Pauline, or a parent looking forward to Grand-hood, you will enjoy the simple pleasures of this quick and poignant read. It’s a great gift for a new Grandparent as well.Enjoy!—Susan Matheson, author of Bedside Table Books blog Magic for sure. Golden everlasting magic. I love how his mind works and I want to see the nimbus. I suspect you are not the only one that adores Jack. It seems we all do. He is quite remarkable.—Deirdre Wallace, Relationship therapist and teacher in UK Daniel discovered she was spending “quality time” with Jack in a way that she hadn’t done with her son. Freed from the anxiety of constant parenting, she felt as if her appreciation of precious moments was heightened . . .Of course, there are billions of grandmothers—and probably more than a few grandfathers—who might have considered (writing) a similar memoir. But, as Daniel will be the first to tell you, there is only one Jack.The result is a nice little book, modest but true, by an observant grandmother who happens to live in the Kootenays.—Alan Twigg, BC Bookworld