Grandfriend's Day

Friday, March 20, 2015

Today I am grateful for Grandfriend’s Day. We are off at o’dark-thirty to get to our youngest grandson’s school for his special 2nd grade day. . .a day clouded in sadness since his other grandpa, Wally, died.

We will meet the other grandma, Joan, in the lobby. Escorts will herd us to Donovan’s room. He will get red cheeks. We will sit on chairs built for Barbie Dolls. The teacher will drone on about technology none of us but the kids understand. We want crayons or paper and pencil, but we won’t get them. There will be a project for us to work on with him. He will say he can’t do it. “It’s too hard.” When he was in kindergarten he told me I wasn’t allowed to chew gum in school. He’ll act like he couldn’t care less that we’re there. . .but it’s all for show. I know his dad and he was the same way. Inside he’ll be thrilled.

When the four of us went to his sister’s special days, we nearly had to stay for detention because we laughed so hard. Grandparent detention, now there’s an event. I miss those days. I miss the snacks, too. They don’t do snacks anymore. Boo-hoo. No strawberry’s or cookies served to you by little kids who bring you a lot of disgusting things that THEY like because you’ll give it to them because they are only allowed one treat. I miss that. I miss the four of us going out to lunch and/or to a movie after.

So today we’ll haul ourselves out of the house at an early morning hour we rarely see anymore. We’ll schelp through another wintry mix and drive an hour. . .for 45 minutes of spine-bending 2nd grade with the grandson and I am grateful we can. But I sure will miss his pop-pop, Wally.

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