By: Elaine Martin
Grandparent’s Day cracks me up. It is this sweet little holiday that does not get much notoriety, outside of wadded up invitations to be honored at elementary school lunches. The recipients of the day deserve much recognition for their unconditional love, crystal bowls of wrapped candy, and those ever-present packs of gum.
I can honestly say that I have one of the coolest dads on the planet. As much as I love having him as Daddy, I think my kids get the best end of the deal because he is their GRANDfather. Yep, his coolness has multiplied with every grey hair on his head. There are a few shining moments that really make me smile when I think about his grandparenting style.
My oldest daughter was the first grandchild, so she had the familiar first-born right to “name” the grandparents. My dad thought he was waaaaay too young to be called Grandfather, so his fantasy was to be named “Sir.” Sally was a super duper late talker, so it took many months, but she did mutter one specific name every time she saw him…G. Yep, one letter, G. It is very fitting for him when you think of the dated saying, “What’s up, G?” It is a hip name, just like him. Six grandkids have been added to the family, and G definitely grew into his name.
Two of my kids had a dream to pull an all-nighter one summer. Hattie & Lily wondered what happens at 3 a.m. in our cozy little Owensboro. Who is up? What do they do? I kept putting them off, blowing off their question, saying the only exciting things that happen are illegal. One day, they mentioned their dream night idea to G. I wish I could describe in detail how his eyes lit up and a slow grin started to appear. He said his famous words, “I’ve got a plan…” and the wheels of action were in motion.
A few nights later, the kids went to spend the night with G and Gigi (yep, my mom). They were told to wear comfy clothes to bed because sometime during their slumber, an adventure would occur. Around 1:30 a.m., G shook the girls awake, being very wise to leave his lovely bride to sleep. The girls were a bit groggy, so he told them to splash water on their faces, have a spoonful of cake batter (his favorite midnight snack) and start moving. The motley crew spent the next hours chowing down at Waffle House (where the girls told me he knew everyone there), shopping at Wal-Mart, and taking silly pictures with the buffalo statue. The full details of their twilight escapade were told me to when they rolled out of bed around noon, as G sat behind them with a proud smile on his face.
My last favorite memory also occurred in the wee hours. My daughter, Sally, absolutely loved Harry Potter and was thrilled when the last movie was set to come out. She begged and begged to see the midnight showing, but she was only 13, and like before, I had many excuses as to why that was not going to happen under my care. Smarty Pants Sally took the wish to her G, who of course was quick to sign up. The only thing he loves more than midnight cake batter is a trip to the movie theater, no matter the time of day or night.
His grandiose plan found them both in Evansville because, apparently, anyone who is cool needs to commemorate such an occasion with a 3D Imax midnight movie. Picture this with me…college students are dressed as wizards, teenagers show up with lightning bolts on their foreheads, and there is G in his favorite movie sweatpants, having the time of his life! Should he be hanging with his senior friends, playing rummy? No way – he is smack dab in the middle of the action, savoring every moment with his granddaughter and munching his middle of the night popcorn snack.
The memories my kids have due to this amazing man are infinite. You’d be blessed to sit at one of our family dinners and listen to his side of these stories. He’d tell you that it doesn’t take money or anything fancy to be a grandparent. His awesomeness comes from his heart, spending time listening to grandkids about their dreams and being part of their lives. It may even involve a few sleepless nights…and maybe some cake batter and popcorn if you’re really cool.