Doo-Doo, Fire Drills & The Joy of Being a Grandpa

The best thing about being Grandpa to eight kids ranging in age from 13 years to three months is the chance to be a spectator of their lives.

As a parent, I must have been so busy raising my daughters and trying to get ahead that I either didn't have the time or take the time to really watch as they grew up. I just woke up one day and realized that they were all grown up. So I vowed to not let that happen with my grandchildren.

And with some of the antics they have provided, I have not been disappointed.

For example, my 22-month old granddaughter Lily is beginning to develop a vocabulary and is learning all sorts of new words. She still needs a little work on pronunciation for some of them, but she pronounces "doo-doo" perfectly. Not only that, she knows what it is! It might not seem very funny until you hear a 22-month-old say it. It causes me a chuckle just thinking about it.

My granddaughter Lizzie (who is now 8 years old) came home from school one day after a fireman had given her class a demonstration and casually asked her mom to "set my leg on fire". My daughter quite naturally was taken aback by this request and inquired as to its purpose. In her matter-of-fact way, Lizzie replied, "I want to practice my stop, drop and roll."

Hayley, who is 11 going on 21, has discovered boys. Lucy, who also is 11, told her pre-school graduating class that she wanted to be "an ice cream man" when she grows up. Five-year-old Samantha, who started kindergarten this year, simply did not understand why she was required to go to school every day.

Annabelle hit her terrible twos in January, and she would rather "work" at "Gop-paw's" office than anything else. Lucy, my other 11-year-old, quietly manipulates her little sister and her cousins into trouble while she remains mysteriously aloof and unaffected. Maddy, at three months, has discovered the skill of manipulation by being selective in giving a simple smile.

And Matthew, the 13-year-old patriarch of this motley crew, has become "king of the misfits". It seems that all of the nerdy, non-cool boys at his school and in his neighborhood have gravitated toward him, and he leads them in some of the most imaginative and creative "games" that I have seen.

All in all, it's been a joyous and wonderful experience for me. And every day I wait to see or hear about the ongoing adventures of these remarkable kids.