Earlier today I was sitting in the living room watching TV. My seven month old grandson, Judah, was lying on the floor on a blanket. He is learning to turn over and get up on his hands and knees. He can crawl somewhat but not in a forward direction. He’s good at going sideways and backwards, though.


As I contemplated how quickly he is growing and developing, something occurred to me I had never considered before. Being a grandpa is way more fun than being just a dad. As a grandfather who is retired I have much time to interact with and observe my four grandchildren. Since Judah and his parents live with us I have a lot of time to be with him and I love it. As a young father to our own children I had far less time with my kids due to working all the time to support them. Leaving for work in the morning and coming home at night, shortly before their bedtime, did not leave much room for being with them.

Daniel was six months old when I went to work part-time for the Santa Clara County Probation Department. I was eager to make a living for my small family and I hustled to get as many hours as possible. In June 1985 I was hired full-time and worked 40 hours per week plus all the overtime I could grab because our daughter Heather was set to arrive in August of that year. Holly came on the scene in May 1987. Linda was able to stay home with our children because I made good money and worked a lot. She had the good fortune to see all the things about our kids’ growing up that I missed.

However, I am now able to see what I missed and I am so appreciative of this. I used to joke that being a grandparent was good because when the kid cried or pooped, you could hand him or her back to their mom or dad. Today, I realized how truly wonderful it is to be a grandpa. I also learned again how important it is to spend time with our kids and grandchildren because we don’t know how long we will have together.

Comments

Patti Aust said…
Very well said. We never get the time back. Everyday is an opportunity to share in our children's lives and their children's. It does make a difference. You are making a difference.
September 11, 2012 at 9:22 PM
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