A Grampy’s Thoughts

I recently watched an interview of someone who was apparently famous (the interview was on television) as she was asked about being a grandparent.  She made the statement, “Being a grandparent is so much more fun than being a parent was.”  The guest went on to talk about how being a grandmother had somehow energized her and given her a new perspective on life and her role in it.  My honey and I have just returned home after a weekend which included some time enjoying our role as grandparents.  I thought about the television interview a few times as we interacted with our two grand-daughters, Lucy and Margo.

I smile inwardly when our daughter and her husband ask us if we would mind … or if we would be willing to … watch the girls for a bit while they go out for some time together.  What they don’t seem to quite understand yet (maybe they need to be grandparents for that to happen) is that we revel in such opportunities.  Chasing two little squealing girls (one of them almost 2 and the other almost 4) around and around the house and occasionally sweeping one of them up and blowing raspberries on their tummies while they squeal with delight and giggles is not exactly a sedate activity … but one magically finds reserves of energy for such things!  Dances consisting mostly of jumping and spinning are not necessarily relaxing activities … but one finds the endurance for such things.  Of course it helps when, in the middle of such activities, Lucy (who often assumes the role of event manager) decides it’s time for everyone to take a nap.  She assigns sleeping places, distributes blankets and says, “OK, it’s time to take a nap”.   Three minutes later, “OK, it’s time to wake up!”  Grampy and Grammy learn to sleep fast!  These, and other activities like putting puzzles together, cooperative cooking/baking, watching kid song videos, eating dishes of imaginary culinary masterpieces concocted in the play kitchen, crawling under the dinner table draped in sheets to form a makeshift tent, special Grampy shopping trips, reading books together, just being silly and sometimes just snuggling together on the couch are like gold currency that we deposit in the bank of memory with great delight.  I would have to agree that being a grandparent IS great fun and there is a certain sense of being “energized”;  More fun than it was being a parent?   I’m not sure.  I am sure of this, though:  Life would be much less fun without those opportunities to collect that gold currency!  It almost seems unfair to get paid so much for something so enjoyable!

Tim