Let’s Dig Up Some Worms

LET ME PREFACE THIS BY SAYING that I am not a Grandfather and unless something of positively biblical proportions happens I never will be.

I’m cool with that.

For many people being a Grandparent is a lifetime goal – even more so than being your plain everyday Parent without the Grand part. I think that, if they could, many of these people would rather skip the Parent part altogether. It doesn’t work that way as far as I can tell.

This morning one of the “Semi-Regular Suspects” was in for coffee earlier than his usual routine would allow. He informed me that he was going out to play golf with some friends and had a 7 AM tee time. To me going out to play golf at 7 AM is a sign of mental illness. But who am I to argue? He’s a grown man…and a Grandfather.

While we were sitting there sipping and acting like adults we started talking about our families…mainly

about his. My family is not as interesting unless you are into family getogethers that end with subpoenas and restraining orders. When we switch over to his family I am relieved when he tells me about all the fun he is having being a Grandfather.

“I’m making my Grandson into a boy.”

I had to ask him to explain that because I thought that was already decided by some genes and chromosomes or something.

Silly me.

“How are you making him into a boy?”

I had to ask.

“Boys need to know how to do “boy things” like handling worms and riding motorcycles.”

“How old is this boy?”

“Six.”

“I’d hold off on the motorcycles for a bit.”

“Yesterday after that rain shower I taught him how to dig up and handle worms. We are going fishing later today.”

I could almost hear the opening theme music to the Andy Griffith Show.

This fine man who is reveling in his role as a Grandfather is a retired Career Navy man who, once he left The Service, moved back to the Midwest and Terre Haute (That’s French for “Look! Nightcrawlers!). He left the sea behind so that he could be a Grandpa and go fishing with a six year old.

And he could not be happier.

He may have something in this “Grandfather Thing.”

For eight years I worked directly with families in crisis. I was the “Case Manger” Who went into the homes and the schools and worked to find resources for the family as a whole. My actual client was the child in the house, but I spent a lot of time with the adults as well. With many of the families it was the Grandparents who were raising the children. There were a variety of reasons why the Grandparents had the kids, but they seemed to take over and serve as a positive influence rather smoothly. Not always, there were failures, but the Grandparents, though older and tired (Let’s face it – Time wears us down.) they rose to the occasion.

Even though my friend is teaching his Grandson “to be a boy” I have no doubt that if a Granddaughter comes along he will do the same things with her. He won’t miss the opportunity to do the “Grandfather Thing” all over again.

He is just that kind of man.

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