After Pattie started school, the house felt noticeably quieter.


    Katelyn, ever the doting grandma, was up at the crack of dawn and off to


    Southridge Estates to see her grandkids. She came loaded with bags-new toys, special treats, the works.


    But Katelyn hadn''t forgottenst time, when Pattie had put her way down on her "favorite people" list. Salma, the other grandma, had beaten her by a mile. This visit, Katelyn decided to make up lost ground with Emmie and Nancy.


    She waved a shiny new toy in front of Nancy. "Hey, sweetheart, do you want a new toy?"


    "I do!" Nancy''s eyes sparkled. She could never resist something new.


    Katelyn grinned. "Then tell Grandma-who do you like most?"


    "Mommy... and Daddy." Nancy answered, sweet as ever, and just as diplomatic. She always picked both when someone asked her to choose between her parents.


    Katelyn knew she couldn''t win against Mom and Dad, but at least she wasn''t being left out entirely. Still, she tried again. "How about this-who do you like more, Grandma or Nana?"


    A tricky question for a little kid, but Nancy didn''t even blink.


    "Nana," she said, cheerfully.


    Katelyn''s smile faltered for a second.


    She''d even tried to give herself an advantage by listing "Grandma" first, but Nancy was absolutely certain. Her answer stayed the same.


    Trying to keep things light, Katelyn pressed on, "Be honest, honey. If you tell Grandma, you''ll get the toy. Do you like Grandma or Nana more?"


    "Nana!" Nancy pped her hands, her tiny voice full of glee.


    Nancy didn''t have a clue about grown-up feelings. She just figured she''d get the toy for answering the question. If she''d said "Grandma," Katelyn probably would have been walking on air.


    Deted but not ready to give up, Katelyn turned to Emmie, who was stacking blocks in the corner. "Emmie, sweetheart, do you like Grandma or Nana better? Grandma will buy you ice cream if you tell me."


    Now, Emmie had fallen in love with ice cream after sneaking a taste from Pattie one day. Since it was summer, she often begged her dad Herman for a scoop, and sometimes he''d give in.


    But Katelyn? She never let the kids have ice cream. If she caught them with any, she''d scold them for eating junk. In her mind, ice cream was just bad-unhealthy and way too cold for little tummies.


    was a


    Even fruit was a production. Katelyn insisted on washing everything in salt water, which made it taste


    weird. The kids hated it. She wamet


    strict about snacks and ytime too so of course, Emmie and


    Nancy weren''t exactly her biggest fans.


    They''d sneak treats and whisper to Herman and Anastasia, "Don''t let Grandma find out!"


    So, when Emmie heard "ice cream," her face lit up. "I like Nana... and Grandma! Can I have the ice cream now?"


    She wanted the treat, but Nana still came first.


    Katelyn was just done.


    All three grandkids put Nana ahead of her. Grandma always came in second.


    She handed Nancy the promised toy but changed her mind with Emmie. "Emmie, ice cream will hurt your tummy. Grandma will wash you some fruit instead."


    Emmie''s face crumpled. “But Grandma, you promised! I want ice cream!"


    Her lips started to tremble, and then she burst into tears.


    Anastasia walked in just in time to catch the scene. "What''s wrong, Emmie? Why are you crying?"


    Emmie''s tears rolled down her cheeks-she looked absolutely pitiful.


    Katelyn, still stinging from being the


    "other" grandma, sighed. "She''s throwing a fit over ice cream. Nana always buys them ice cream, spoiling them. Kids'' stomachs can''t handle it. What if she gets sick?"


    Anastasia bristled at the jab at her mom. She scooped Emmie up. “Kids are just curious about new things. asked the doctor-having a bit of ice cream is fine. It helps their taste buds develop. And for the record, it''s usually me and Herman buying the ice cream, not just my mom."


    Katelyn waved her off. "You young folks think you know everything. Doctors these days-half of them haven''t even had kids! I''ve raised plenty, and I don''t need a book to tell me how."


    And so, the age-old battle of generations rolled on in the sunlit kitchen, the air tinged with the salty scent of fruit, while the kids quietly schemed their next ice cream caper.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!