What has been the most joyful part of having a two-year-old grandchild?
The most joyful part of having a two-year-old granddaughter is watching her language develop and her personality change. It is mesmerizing to watch her play and see her imagination begin to come to life. Also, as her language/vocabulary grows, I love hearing how she pronounces certain words. We have taken a ton of videos, so we have evidence.
How does it make you feel that your granddaughter, Joie Benson, lives across the street from you?
The land (three acres) across the street from us came up for sale, and we were thrilled that they chose to purchase it and build a home. The best thing was that they stayed in our house while building, so Joie Benson was born and lived with us for almost a year. We can share a garden with them and a mutual neighbor. It melts my heart that she is big enough to run across the field yelling, “Jack-Jack.” It’s a dream come true.
What was the inspiration for naming Joie Benson after both of her grandfathers?
Her name came from the desire to use family names. My daughter loved my grandmother’s middle name, Jo, and always wanted to use it. My son-in-law, Trent, always wanted to use his father’s middle name, Benson, for his little girl and call her “Bennie Bug”. As they discussed combining each of these, they came up with the maternal father’s name, Joey, which includes “Jo” and the paternal father’s middle name, Benson. So, we have a Joie Benson. Sometimes, she is called JB and Bennie Bug.
How did making biscuits with JB become a tradition?
Making biscuits is one of the earliest memories of my paternal grandmother. She would let me stand in a chair while she cooked and always used the same large wooden bowl to make biscuits. My granddaughter was fussing while we were cooking dinner, so I placed her in a bamboo seat on the counter and talked her through every step, which quieted her. Recently, I let her stand on a stool, pulled out the big bowl, and let her add ingredients, mix with her hands, and roll them out.
How did your granddaughter become interested in watching baptism on television at such a young age?
My daughter and I are both children’s pastors, so Joie Benson spends much time at church. Our church is experiencing a lot of people accepting Christ and desiring to be baptized (105 so far this year). My husband usually takes her to one or two weekly services because she enjoys the music. Baptisms happen at the very beginning of the service, so she has seen them repeatedly. She started asking me each morning if I was going to baptize someone.
What has surprised you most about being a grandparent?
Seeing all the items and information my daughter can access has surprised me the most. Being a children’s pastor, I am always around kids and know there is always something new, but this is wild! My daughter was part of a few mommy groups that she had to get off because the moms were downright mean with their opinions. I have encouraged my daughter to have balance. The Bible teaches that older women should be teaching younger women (Titus 2,) so she needs older, wiser women to give her advice.
Bio: Jackie Smith has been married to Joey Smith for 32 years. They have two children: a daughter, Hunter, and a son, Christian. The couple resides in Millbrook and treasure living across the street from their granddaughter, Joie Benson.
Kimberley Carter Spivey is a freelance writer, blogger, author, and entrepreneur. Her debut book Bloom: How to Get from Good Enough to a Life You Love can be purchased on Amazon and girlyouwrite.com.
