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Prose, Grades 7 – 9: Second Place
I Believe in Grandmothers — Hannah Bernstein
I believe in grandmothers who read you stories. Grandmothers who will take you out to lunch on the rainiest, grayest day of the year. Who will make you weed the garden because you’re bored.
Grandmothers who let you eat all the Oreos you want, then pile food on your plate during dinner. Grandmothers who build forts with you out of pillows and blankets, and grandmothers who play hide and seek at Home Depot. Grandmothers who know what comfort food is, and grandmothers who know when you just need a hug. Everyone’s grandmother is different in her own way.I believe that grandmothers are special.
I believe in my grandmothers. I have two wonderful, crazy, strong-willed, silly and compassionate grandmothers. My grandmothers taught me that I can be who I want, and do what I want with my life. They taught me not to let anyone bring me down.
When I was little, my grandmother and I used to go to Home Depot and play hide and seek. We used to build forts on the bed and read fairy tales. My grandmother taught me how to weed a garden, and how to make the most delicious cookies in the world.
My other grandmother and I would have dinner together, listen to books on tape, go to museums, feed the ducks at the local pond, and eat Oreos with milk and milk mustaches! They made me feel I was a part of something bigger than just my own small world, which didn’t exist past the park down the street. They were my best friends, and I remember thinking that they were invincible.
As I get older, I’m watching them age, too, which means we can’t do the same things anymore. It’s hard to get used to, but I’m happy just to sit down for dinner and talk. They are truly amazing to me, and one day I want to make my grandchildren feel the same way about me that I feel about my grandmothers.
I believe in your grandmothers. Whether you have one or two or three, or even someone who means a lot but isn’t a grandmother at all, remember how special they are. No matter how old or how young you are, grandmothers don’t stick around forever waiting for you to realize this. They are a part of your history.
They are the reason you are here today, reading these words. I love my grandmothers, no matter what. I believe in grandmothers because they are special, one-of-a-kind people, and I know I would be a very different person without them.
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