I became a grandfather for the first time about two weeks ago. It's taken about that long for it to actually sink in.
While I have not had any startling revelations about my new status, it is somewhat of a unique feeling that I didn't have when I became a father 29 years ago. Back then, there was just utter panic at the beginning of a new and long journey. While much of life was in front of me, I had no roadmap for being a parent. Now I am more aware of all the mile-markers behind me and am fairly mellow about it. No panic, no fear. Just acceptance of a new role.
My daughter gave birth to an 8-pound, 14-ounce healthy boy who is named Jack. I presume at some point Jack will recognize me and perhaps want me to play catch with him, but until then, I am probably just a another mysterious character who shows up in his field of vision every now and then.
Everyone feels somewhat differently about what it means to be a grandparent. To me, a grandfather was a little Italian man in his late 50s with white hair and interesting stories about the farm his immigrant father once owned in New Jersey. His pants were baggy and had lots of change in the deep pockets. He was at the tail end of a career as a photographer at the New York Post when I was still a young kid. He retired by the time I was a teen-ager and died about 10 years later. Retirement did not suit him well.
Grandpa was also that weird old dude on The Munsters sitcom. He lived amongst three generations of ghouls, but was the craziest in a haunted household full of crazies. There were countless other television shows in the 60s and 70s that stereotyped grandparents in unflattering ways. Some grandparents amused us. Some were just there, like paint on a wall.
Despite some of the age-releted kidding I've received in the last 10 days, the perception of grandparents has changed over the years, mostly for the better. Nowadays, grandparents are active and vital members of society. Many still have a lot of productive working years left. Some run marathons or coach NFL teams. Others look like models or are CEOs. To be a grandparent today does not necessarily mean you're on the waiting list at the old folks home.
No matter how much some segments of society want to put labels on older people, or restrict them from landing good jobs in their 50s, 60s and even 70s, grandparents march on.
We are Baby Boomer grandparents living and competing in a very different world than Grandpa Munster lived in. We don't need to be slightly batty or a burden to anyone. We have much to offer our colleagues, friends, children and grandchildren. We produced some of the best music, art and began the technical revolution. We aren't going away or becoming any less relevant anytime soon.
If I live long enough for all my hair to turn snowy white, and to tell tales of my days as a newspaperman to Jack, I will cherish those times.
Until then, no more grandpa jokes, please.
