We get one chance at being a Mom and Dad. We also get one chance at being a Grandpa. Since we have more kids to choose from, Grandpas have options. The other side is that, since we have a bigger audience, we have two generations of critics.
Grandpas know how to deal with criticism. By the time he is a Grandpa, he has been in training by Grandma for at least 20 years. Grandma is convinced that Grandpa is ready to graduate from her training program. After all, it would take too long to train another one.
Grandpa learns to get the last word in. “Yes, Dear!” Grandma thinks he has finally learned. Grandpa calls it wisdom. Grandma thinks Grandpa is getting a little forgetful. Grandpa just remembers the important things. Everything else, Grandma will remind him!
So when the grandkids come around, they like to listen to Grandpa. He tells all the neat stories. He tells about why things happened in the past and what things are going to happen in the future. He has a story for almost every subject. Sometimes the story changes but the subject is the same. Other times, the story is the same but the subject changed. Never could figure out how he does that.
Grandpas have that little twinkle in their eye when the grandkids are around. He may have a two-day bristle, a missing tooth or two, and glasses that need cleaned. But he always has a smile. He always has a “come here, give Grandpa a hug.”
Coming April 2017: “Grandpa and Andy … a grandfather’s handbook”
Green Ivy Press
