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While my father spent his workday toiling away in the fields and my mother cared for nursing home patients, I was fortunate to have an important relative in my family who kept me company whenever I wished. My grandparents lived half a mile away from our home and through a circuit of trails, between woods and potato fields, I was able to walk alone and worry free to their house. We spent our time telling stories, pulling up vegetables in the garden and canning them for the winter.

When it was raining I would rummage through endless bags of fabric scraps my grandmother had saved throughout the years and we began sewing projects. We always made donuts together and when I brought a bag of fresh ones home, I felt like I had put in a full day of work. Now that I'm older I still find ways to keep that connection between my grandparents and I as strong as ever. We play games. Luckily we both have a love for word games in common, so Scrabble makes the rounds with each visit. Ways to keep that connection strong between you and your grandchild can vary from family to family. It's about mixing interests, combining the old way of doing things, with the new.

If you have younger grandchildren, the Moncton Public Library offers many programs for families. Take your grandchild for the day and share a few books together. If your grandchild is older, take them to a bookstore or comic shop and pick out a book. Afterwards go for a coffee and milkshake or root beer float. With the warm weather making a comeback, you may want to spend more time outdoors, go for a bike ride along with riverfront, or visit the Waterfowl Park in Sackville and see how many birds you can each name.

The age difference between a grandparent and grandchild can be a learning experience. Visit a place where either of you have not been before or just sit down at home and make a meal together. This could be anything from what your mother used to make for you or your grandchild's favourite treat. If you'd like to do something more active, take a visit to Crystal Palace where you can play plenty of games, golf, and get some nachos at McGinnis Landing afterwards.

Take a disposable camera out for the day you spend with your grandchild, let them take the shots and next time you're together, make a scrapbook of your activities. They say there is a special bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Perhaps its because grandparents have been able to learn to relax after going through the stages of discipline with their own children. Perhaps they see the world in the same way as youth.