Being Grandpa
Being a Grandpa,
It amazes me a little bit how common being a grandparent is and how easy it is to become one. You have children, they have children and there you are a shiny new grandparent. It really is as simple as that. It happens all the time and has been happening for thousands of years and most everyone who has died in all those many years, if they themselves weren’t grandparents they certainly had grandparents.
Being a Grandpa or Grandma is not the same as being a grandparent
(note capitalization) Being a grandparent just happens. Grandpas and Grandmas are home spun.
I suppose it happens to everyone the way it happened to me.
There I was a happily married man with two beautiful and well adjusted adult daughters. One daughter gets married and several years later informs us of the inevitable
baby on the way. Her mother and I prepared ourselves as she went into nesting mode for the next few months. So many changes, too many changes, I could tell you but I really shouldn’t. I have to live with these people.
Any way, as she started to blossom into her adorable round motherliness it occurred to me that what was happening was more than just motherhood or I should say Parenthood on the part of our daughter and son-in-law but in addition to their new status her mother and I shall be relegated to that “instant oldie” status of grandparents!
As adorable as she looked waddling about the place that is how old and gray I was feeling. But it soon passed when our first grandchild arrived a beautiful little girl. I got to hold her a lot it felt wonderful and as soon as she was old enough to play with and I didn’t have to worry about breaking her I would hold her in my arms for short walks about the neighborhood. This was soon repeated about two years later with her little brother. It is a wonderful feeling to be loved by these two little extensions of ourselves.
To look in their big beautiful eyes I see all of us their in those adorable tiny faces.
When I look at them I can see my mom and dad. It’s not that much of a stretch.
I see their dad’s side of the family as well. I think being a Grandpa is the best part of life.
I love being a Daddy but I love being a Grandpa even more.
I believe you have to be there for your grandchild in order to be a Grandpa or Grandma. I knew only my dad’s mom, my little Grandma. I called her Uma.
My dad’s father had passed away many years before I was born.
I had never met my mom’s parents. I would have loved for all of them to have met
my children and grandchildren.
I know so little of my dad’s side of the family and absolutely nothing of my mother’s side of the family. It causes me to wonder about the countless opportunities missed by the endless parade of grandparents who never got to be Grandpa or Grandma.
How sad is that?
Copyright © Monty Newman | Year Posted 2020
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