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Show ' ,V ", i ; ' t M j -7 '( - .. ':J I ' I Great-grandma Stanley enjoys the challenges of her second motherhood -By GARY R. BLODGETT WOODS CROSS At age 68, being a great-grandmother should be a time in life to "sit back and let the world go by." Not so for Margaret Stanley of Woods Cross. She and her husband, Charles, are just beginning to raise a new family. They have court custody and full responsibility of two greatgrandchildren, great-grandchildren, Russell Sessions, 6, and Brittney Sessions, who will be 5 in July. "Sure they are a handful at times, but what children that age aren't," says Margaret with a smile. "I don't know what I would do without them." The Stanleys have had the Sessions' great-grandchildren for nearly 4 Vi years; since Russell was only about 1 8 months old and sy Brittney was just a baby. Although the kids rightfully call the elder couple "grandma and grandpa, "the Stanleys are also "mom and dad" in every way. "We have full custody and responsibility of their care and welfare as well as rearing them the very best we can," said Margaret. ' v She said they give the kids as much training as possible. Both have been enrolled in swimming and dance classes and Russell is preparing for the upcoming soccer season. "Which reminds me that I have a couple of costumes to make for a dance review next week," commented Grandma Stanley. Both children had a lot of adjusting to do and both have completed Davis School District's Headstart Program to become be-come more socially acquainted. "They get along exceptionally well with children and adults but still have a lot of love and affection for each other," she said. "Each morning when they get up they give each other a big hug." The Stanleys enjoy taking the children to the park or to the canyon for a picnic. And when they (children) have a recital or ball game, the great-grandparents are there. "We take as much pride in what they do as any set of parents would of their own children," explained Margaret. "The only real difference is that we are a few years older than most pa- Photo by Rogef Tutfle Great-grandmother Margaret Stanley has entered her second-motherhood as the legal guardian of four-year-old Brittany and six-year-old Russell Sessions. rents." That's why the Stanleys prefer mixing with the "younger generation." "It's a challenge sometimes, but I wouldn't want it any other way," says Grandma Stanley, whose oldest son is now 49. The Stanleys reared their own family of four. Margaret's firsV husband was critically injured in an auto accident and they were later divorced. She met Charles who will turn 81 years old tomorrow about 35 years ago. Together they reared Margaret's Mar-garet's children and now are rearing their great-grandchildren. It takes a special person to be a "Mom" like that. And Margaret Stanley is that special person. |
