Aba. Jojo. Abi. Abuela. Ma. Grandma, even Fancy. No matter the name, there\u2019s a common thread among the grandmothers we spoke with: a special bond built on time spent together.<\/p>\n
As we worked on this Mom Issue, one idea kept bringing smiles, featuring grandmothers who are active, present and deeply involved in their grandkids\u2019 lives on the island.<\/p>\n
Meet Fancy, Jojo and Abi. Between them, they share 18 grandchildren, so it\u2019s safe to say they know a thing or two about this role.<\/p>\n
Here are their stories.<\/p>\n
Nancy Stoner, called \u201cFancy\u201d by her grandkids, has watched Key Biscayne grow alongside her family. A Village Councilmember, she is also a mother of five and grandmother of six.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll my children were born on the Key,\u201d she said, reflecting on decades spent building their lives in the same community. \u201cNow one of my sons lives here, so one set of grandchildren lives on the Key \u2026 we have a lot of three generations together. It\u2019s really kind of amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Stoner, grandmotherhood on the Key means biking familiar streets with new little ones, gathering at local favorite spots and recreating the childhoods their parents once had.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey just want their children to have the same experience and the same good fortune that they had,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
That continuity of place and values is what makes it so meaningful.<\/p>\n
Though her weekends are filled with family time, Stoner stays busy as a lawyer, councilwoman and active community member.<\/p>\n
\u201cI sleep very few hours.\u201d she said, making her priorities clear. \u201cI make time for them because they\u2019re my priority.\u201d<\/p>\n
At this stage of life, the biggest shift is responsibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt really is fun to be a grandparent,\u201d she said. \u201cYou don\u2019t have the day-to-day worries but we spend an enormous amount of time together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether boating, traveling or sharing everyday moments, she embraces the role with joy and intention.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on motherhood and grandmotherhood, Stoner quoted her own mother: \u201cThere\u2019s no one who tells you how to be a good parent, you just do the best you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stoner applies that philosophy to both of her roles, emphasizing openness, patience and respect for different perspectives, values she has carried from home into public life.<\/p>\n
When asked about the joys of being a grandmother, Joan McCaughan, \u201cJojo\u201d to her grandkids, responded the way a grandmother of five would:<\/p>\n
\u201cOh man, I\u2019m very lucky,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Her grandkids, ages 13 to 16, all live on Key Biscayne.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy joy comes from being with them, any way and any time,\u201d McCaughan said, recalling a recent stretch when she had two of them at home \u201call to herself\u201d while their parents were out of town. \u201cI used to take care of all five at the same time, no nannies or anything, all by myself. Two were toddlers and Johnny was a baby, and it was pure joy.\u201d<\/p>\n
She laughed, admitting she was exhausted by the time they were picked up.<\/p>\n
These days, she\u2019s just as present, cheering them on at every game.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacrosse, basketball, soccer, whatever they\u2019re playing, I\u2019m there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Asked about her sideline behavior, she laughed:<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get me started,\u201d describing it as \u201ccheering and screaming.\u201d<\/p>\n
She was the same way with her daughters, Eileen, Jamie and Melissa, all strong athletes, with Jamie and Melissa excelling in soccer. Eileen, her oldest, was tragically killed by a drunk driver at just 15 years old. In her memory, family and friends established a scholarship fund in 1989 to honor her life.<\/p>\n
Last week, the 37th annual Eileen McCaughan Memorial Scholarship Fund Pasta Dinner was held at the Key Biscayne Beach Club, where 15 students were awarded scholarships.<\/p>\n
For McCaughan, sharing that moment with her grandkids was especially meaningful.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe place was packed, and they understood what was going on,\u201d she said. \u201cThey know a part of our family is missing, but they also know this is a way to keep Eileen\u2019s memory alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
To Jojo, being a grandmother is something she treasures deeply.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fortunate to have been there since day one, when they were born,\u201d she said. \u201cI love the memories. They make your heart smile.\u201d<\/p>\n
For another involved abuela, Ana Rasco, or \u201cAbi\u201d to her seven grandchildren (ages 2 to 15) \u201csharing the small moments\u201d brings her immense joy.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, my goodness, to spend time with them, doing what they want to do, putting the baby to sleep, it\u2019s all incredibly rewarding,\u201d Rasco said. \u201cI consider it a privilege to be part of their lives.\u201d She added that one of her favorite activities is playing board games with them.<\/p>\n
Rasco also loves having everyone together.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love to have all of them around me at the same time, as often as possible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Rascos regularly plan \u201cfamily days,\u201d when she and her husband, Mayor Joe Rasco, spend time with their children and grandchildren.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to enjoy the present, live your life with them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Looking back, Rasco recalls that when her own children were young, she was working as an educator. While she stayed involved, she missed some moments and relied on her own mother for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019m paying it forward,\u201d she said. \u201cReturning the favor and allowing my children to build their lives, while I help with their kids.\u201d<\/p>\n
She describes her relationship with her grandchildren as different from parenting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are a parent, you have the responsibility to teach and instill wisdom and discipline,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a grandparent, you have the time, experience and patience to understand more, to be a better listener, and yes, to have fun.\u201d She added with a laugh, \u201cIf I knew grandkids were this much fun, I would have had them first.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked what advice she would give other abuelas, Rasco did not hesitate:<\/p>\n
\u201cLove and nurture them,\u201d she said. \u201cSpend as much time with them as you can, they grow up so quickly, and you don\u2019t want to regret missing any part of their lives. Grandkids are special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Or, as Jojo McCaughan put it: \u201cThe icing on the cake.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aba. Jojo. Abi. Abuela. Ma. Grandma, even Fancy. No matter the name, there\u2019s a common thread among the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[114210,114211,92991,126,123,125,124,104739,25521],"class_list":["post-265157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-abuelas","tag-ana-rasco","tag-joan-mccaughan","tag-key-biscayne","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-mothers-day","tag-nancy-stoner"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}