Grandparents Day was on Sept. 12, which was only appropriate since two days before that I became a granddaddy for the second time.
Since becoming a grandparent more than two years ago, I’ve had some of the best days of my life, and I’m not just saying that to score future brownie points when the young’uns are old enough to read this. My granddaughter, Aria Jade, is the light of my life, and now my grandson, Waylon Ranger – yes, my kids are fantastic at choosing names – has me on a natural high I don’t ever want to come down from.
My grandparents are my heroes, my favorite humans of all time, and I still miss them every single day. However, I get to reconnect a bit with them every time I do for my grandchildren the kinds of things they always did for me. That inspires and motivates me to want to be the best person I possibly can for them.
How can it not? As I stare into that baby’s eyes, all I see is innocence. That child doesn’t know how to bully, hate nor judge – you have to be taught that. He doesn’t care about the economy, politics nor religion – he just wants a clean diaper, and to be full and warm.
Waylon didn’t seem all that excited about having a house full of family members doting on his every move, ooh and aah, but considering how deep he slept while changing hands he didn’t seem to mind a bit. After all, he was still inside the womb a week ago, which has to be a rather jarring change of settings.
The grandfather on dad’s side is a super nice fellow named Tim Crowe, who University of Georgia football fans might remember as a captain on the Bulldogs’ 1981 national championship team. (He was sporting his 40th anniversary shirt Saturday.) That means Waylon just might become the first person to ever play on the football field during the game, then change uniforms at halftime to play drums with the band.
Still, despite all the cool perks, it’s not easy being a grandparent nowadays. Many are also having to be parents again, which isn’t easy nor inexpensive at any age. With more underlying medical conditions, they have to be extra cautious of COVID-19. And the Better Business Bureau has issued yet another warning about “grandparent scams,” where bad guys often impersonate loved ones, make up an urgent situation, then plead for help and money.
(That very situation happened to my father-in-law a few years ago, but thankfully he isn’t an easy mark. Remember to always check directly with your loved ones and not take a stranger’s word for it.)
Despite the fact that I’m not as young as I used to be and have the bodily cracks to hear for it, being with Aria and Waylon at least mentally makes me feel young again. Suddenly, I’m looking forward to doing things I haven’t done in far too long. We take way too many things for granted, but seeing those same things through their eyes for the first time brings back the childhood wonder we never should have allowed ourselves to lose.