Three special goblins called on me last night….my grandchildren, all of 10, 8, and not quite 1. My grandchildren time provides some of the richest moments in my life. Not quite 1 is always fun because he’s not quite 1 and so biteable. 10 and 8 have outgrown baby cuteness, but I love my glimpses into their world where friends aren’t always nice and grownups don’t have time and Project Runway is of real interest and bathing isn’t a priority, at least to 10 anyway. We play a game, appropriate for Halloween, called Witch Nana. I’m not quite sure how it evolved but it involves me being a witch, and I try to capture them, and the one not captured has to free the prisoner by touching him or her. Witch Nana is bound by countess rules, particularly the older 10 has gotten. Sometimes there are magic wands stolen, pretend thrown water always freezes me, invisible shields go up but only if “invisible shield” is shouted in time, and lately, they’re into tricking me. “Look at this,” they’ll call, and I pretend to be distracted so that they get a head start on running away too fast for me to catch them, and then all of us will laugh so hard it hurts once it’s clear I’m not going to snatch them. I’m a little wide to be climbing around children’s park play stations, but I’m game. Not quite 1 is way too young for Witch Nana, but I hope I can still maneuver well enough to play with him when his time comes. I think Witch Nana started with stories about a witch that would capture Nana, meaning me, and 10 would rescue Nana, and throw water on the witch….10 loved being the hero…..I love being Witch Nana.
Karleen Koen — writing life 
Witch Nana…what a delightful time for you.
This story brings to mind a game we played as kids called “daddy.” It occurred on my brothers’ bunk beds. The person who got to be daddy had the “pleasure” of taking a belt and trying to hit the others. Not that daddy ever did spank us in that manner, but we knew he could if he had wanted to! The fun games we played….