My granddaughter, who just turned 4 years old,was here for a day and I thought it would be fun to show her how to write her name.

I have a photo taken by her mother from about a year ago where her mother showed her how to make the letter “A, “the first letter of her name.

She copied her mother’s marks, came close in making that letter A, and in the photo she is beaming as she shows off her first attempt.

As I was thinking about showing her how to write her name, I remembered the first time my mother showed me how to write my name.

I was about the same age as my granddaughter, but, as the oldest child, making letters on a piece of paper was a new thought for me.

I really did not see the need for learning this.

My mother was a natural born teacher and she knew the importance of teaching me how to write my name.

Another problem was that my name has seven letters and my granddaughter has six with none of the letters repeating.

It does make a person appreciate a name such as Bob or Jo that only require knowing a few letters for each name.

I had a sheet of paper and pen at the kitchen table and I told my granddaughter we were going to write her name.

She seemed interested, but not very excited about the idea.

I wrote her name on the paper in large capital letters.

She held the paper and told me, “I love my name.”

I thought that was a good attitude to have and then she put the paper on the table and that was where it ended. So much for my good idea.

My mother was more persistent than I was and I believe I had written my name about six times before we quit.

I remember her letters were neat with straight lines where they were supposed to be straight and curved where they were supposed to be curved.

My letters were pretty much an assortment of uneven squiggly lines, even if they were my best effort.

I believe my mother could see that was enough for a first attempt and I don’t believe I did that again until kindergarten when it became obvious I had to learn to write my name, ready or not.

I haven’t tried to sit with my granddaughter since then to try my idea once more.

She would rather have me read books to her which is something we both enjoy.

It is interesting that in these times of computers and many other learning devices, a sheet of paper and pencil or a simple storybook printed on paper, turned page by page, read out loud to someone who is looking at the pictures is where learning begins.

And I am learning a little about the rewards my mother got as a teacher, which is another new thought for me.

Rye is a Farm News staff writer and farmer from Hanlontown. Reach him by e-mail at crye@wctatel.net.