I love Charlotte.
Charlotte and Grandpa, 4 months
Prior to July 20th, 2009, I had numerous titles.
- SON: I’ve had that my whole life. My parents gave me that title.
- NEPHEW and UNCLE: I have those titles a few times over.
- HUSBAND: My wife gave me that one some time ago. Along with that title, she has given me others, such as Plumber, Carpenter, Gardener, Sweeper, Window Washer, Laundry Boy, Handyman, Bonehead, and Idiot.
But the one I have cherished the most is FATHER.
When I became a father, I had no idea what the job entailed. There were sleepless nights and a tired wife. There were crying babies and an upset wife. There were sick children and an anxious wife. There were angry kids and a sobbing wife. There were teenage daughters and a moody wife. But that’s really just a small part of it. When I became a father, I also got innumerable hugs. There were hugs all the time. My children taught me the value of hugs.
And all those little kisses. I never received so many kisses prior to having children. Real kisses too. The “I love you, Daddy” kisses… Sometimes I miss that.
FATHER. is a real job. Love the children. Punish the children and love them some more. Teach the children and love them some more. Alienate the children and love them some more. Let the children grow into adulthood and love them even more.
And now I have the title GRANDFATHER. Sarah and Donald gave me that.
Keeping Grandpa’s seat warm while he vacationed, 3 months
My job as GRANDFATHER is easy: love Charlotte. This is the simplest task that I have ever had. Charlotte looks at me and I love her. She pukes and I love her. She giggles and I love her. She stinks up the room with a dirty diaper and I love her. (But I hand her to her parents; I’ve done my time.)
When she was first born, I worried. It was the same with my kids. I worried, worried, worried, worried, and then worried some more. I actually had trouble sleeping some nights. Slowly, it came to me that Sarah and Donald were worrying enough for all of us. And really, they are great parents. I really think they know what they’re doing; they certainly have answers to questions I had completely forgotten about. So I just stopped worrying.
That leaves me as just GRANDFATHER, Charlotte’s grandfather. It’s the best job in town. I love Charlotte unconditionally and without reservation. How cool is that? That’s the whole job! THE WHOLE THING! When she fusses, I let Sarah or Donald calm her, and when she’s in a good mood again, they hand her back. Which means that I get to love her. When she spits up, I let her parents clean her up, and then they hand her back to me. And I love her.
Did I tell you she’s beautiful? I love Charlotte. Did I tell you she’s smart? I love Charlotte. Recently, I went on a trip and brought pictures of her on my cell phone. Everybody wanted to see them. REALLY! If I had known that being a grandfather was this easy and fun, I would have skipped the whole parenting thing altogether. Can you do that? I’ll have to do some research and get back to you.
Kisses from Grandpa, 2 months
So. My newest title is GRANDFATHER. I like the sound of that. I like it a lot. In fact, I love it.
But not as much as I love Charlotte.
*** You can find the other posts my father has written by clicking here. Enjoy!
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Love Grandpas. They are the best. Looks like you have one too!
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lovely post, made me tear up. i can’t wait to see my dad with my future children….
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what a well written post!! having family members do posts bring a whole new dimension to this blog. i love reading how you’ve embraced grandparent-hood. i could never imagine my dad writing something so powerful!!!!
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Precious. Thanks for sharing :)
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oh, i love it. makes me wish that my father lived in the same state so my daughter could see him more often.
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I’m sitting at work trying to choke back tears. Beautifully written! Thank you so much for sharing this.
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You should really try to convince your father to start his own blog…this post made me first laugh and then cry. It’s just brilliant.
I now know where you get your super cool writing abilities. -
I love this post and what a lucky girl Charlotte is, and a lucky girl you are to have this man as a dad. Makes me miss my dad incredibly and makes me sad that he isn’t here to love Hadley. We have wonderful memories, though.
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happy thanksgiving to you and your whole beautiful family. us canadians celebrated it nearly a month ago, but its all good :)
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That is the sweetest post I have ever read! Oh my gosh. My eyes are threatening to spill over! You sound like a wonderful father and grandfather. We should all aspire to be just like you. Thanks for doing your job the right way. There are so many people in the world that don’t realize the importance of parenthood or grandparenthood. They are so selfish. They don’t love their kids or grandkids like they should. All they care about is themselves and they make all their decisions to accommodate themselves and not their children/grandchildren. It ends up ruining the kids life. You love your kids and grandkids so much—it’s very evident here and in other posts I’ve read. Keep up the good work. It is YOU that has made Sarah and therefore Charlotte a wonderful asset to humanity. Don’t ever think your love was ever in vain. Even in the tough times, it’s your love that has gotten and will continue to get Sarah, your other daughters, and now Charlotte through.
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What a wonderful post! I’m grinning through tears. Happy Thanksgiving to your whole family. Thank you for writing to all of us.
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It looks to me like Charlotte loves having a grandfather as much as you love having a grandchild.
Gotta admit…I teared up like a fool.
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I love this post! How adorable.
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Simple and perfect. Thanks for sharing.
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Of course your dad is wearing a “Life is good” T-shirt. (He is, isn’t he? In that last photo?) I can’t imagine him rocking any other T-shirt.
What a good grandpa –– and like you, a skilled writer. By the way, Charlotte looks like Edith Ann in your father’s chair. Enjoyed this post tremendously.
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Beautiful post. Charlotte is a lucky grand-baby…I hope and pray that I have grandchildren of my own some day.
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What a sweet, sweet post - I’m sure you’re a fabulous grandfather too since you understand that that really is what it’s all about.
By beyond on November 25, 2009
aawww. this made me tear up. happy thanksgiving to the whole ‘becoming sarah’ family.