Lyons, Colorado--Whenever three-year-old Brooklynn of Westminster, Colorado, visits her grandmother's house, she knows just where to go: the trunk brimming with puzzles, coloring books, stickers, jewelry, and hats that stands ready for her in the hallway. Between Brooklynn's visits, her grandmother Barbara Schroeder, 52, stocks the trunk with new inexpensive items or old family toys. Barbara hopes that Brooklynn feels at home in this area of the house dedicated to children's belongings. "It helps that Brooklynn knows the playthings are always there," she says. "She knows there's always a space for her in my home."
The visits with Brooklynn, her infant sister, Makenna, cousin Leea Jean, and their mothers bring pure pleasure to Barbara as both a grandmother and mother. "I'd heard about the joys of being a grandmother, but I hadn't heard about the joys of watching daughters be mothers," Barbara remarks. "It's so rewarding. Both of my daughters are very good mothers. They've far exceeded what I might have hoped for them. It's extended the joy of being their mother."
