Julia Roberts Goad
Staff Writer
GOODY, Ky. — Jaley Adkins, a fifth-grader at Southside Elementary, has won second place in Pike County in the AARP’s “Why my grandparent should be Kentucky’s Grandparent of the Year” essay contest.
Jaley’s maternal grandmother, Kathy Chafin, was the subject of the essay entitled My GRANDmother.
Kathy is a language arts teacher at Belfry Middle School, and Jaley said she her grandmother even lets her help grade papers.
“We do all kinds of things together,” Jaley said. “We have a garden, and go on my Popee’s boat to Yatesville Lake.”
Jaley said her grandmother lives near her, and she and her cousins often have sleepovers with ‘Mamaw.’
“Mamaw and Popee have rooms for us,” Jaley said. “There is the Girls Palace and the Boys Lair. We cook and eat, we have a really good time.”
Jayley’s essay is below.
My GRANDparent
The definition of the word “grand” means “of great importance.” I would like to tell you about someone grand in my life, my grandmother, Kathy Chafin. When I look back at every event of the ten years of my life,I see that she has helped shape the person I have become.
Just imagine a nice, warm sunny day and me sitting by the pool with my mamaw and reading a wonderful book she recommended to me. My mamaw has helped me grow as a reader and is where my love for reading came from. This is one reason my mamaw Kathy Chafin should be AARP Grandparent of the Year.
Secondly, my mamaw is always there when we need her. Her presence is what calms us down and gives us the courage we need to face the opponent or step out on stage. Because of this, she refuses to miss a ball game or a dance recital. Also, though she spends her whole day with kids as a middle school teacher, she never minds to stop grading papers “for a couple of minutes” to play with cousins and me. I t seems as if she never runs out of energy like most grandparents do.
Although my mamaw does have the common grandma traits like cooking, sewing and gardening, she also does some things that make her unique. She mows grass and cuts weeds! She loves being outdoors. Everybody in the neighborhood gets a giggle out of it. Her and her lawn mover have become best friends over the years. When her lawn looks good, she moves on to another. We don’t know if she is working on her tan or seriously concerned about the grass’ health. In fact, my Uncle Nate has been married for over a year and has only mowed his grass twice. But, his grass has never looked better.
Another thing that sets my mamaw apart is that she is a bit of a speed demon. She even drives a unique car that I’m pretty sure is one-of-a-kind. It is a little green car that makes a lot of big noises, respectfully called Ol’ Green. Though she is always safe when we’re with her, when she is rushing home to make it to one of our activities, she hits the driveway at full speed. But, when you have five grandchildren, I guess you have to put the pedal to the metal.
Most often, she ends her days by falling asleep hard at work on her iDoze, I mean, iPad. But, I wouldn’t want her any other way. With her schedule getting up at 4 a.m., working full time, and going to bed at midnight, I guess a little nap is just what she needs to recover.
My grandparents should definitely be the Kentucky AARP Grandparent of the Year. However, even if she doesn’t win, she will always be a winner with me.
Jaley Faith Adkins
Southside Elementary School.
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