BAD ASS GRANDMAS! THE NEW GENERATION OF GRANDPARENTS ARE INSPIRING YOUNGER GENERATIONS TO FOLLOW IN THEIR FOOTSTEPS
By Margo Peyton There’s something to be said about this generation of
somehow passed our parents along the way. Harry Chapin’s song “Cat’s in the Cradle” comes to mind when I look back on it all; in the song, a father never has time for his son, and when the son grows up, he never has time for his father. Kids today out-type us, out-tech us, out-browse us. They live in a world where making appointments is done without talking to anyone taking classes online without a teacher. American football has become bigger in fantasy than on the field. That’s true! I heard an NFL player saying on a radio show that he was sad he lost his game but happy the quarterback he’d played against was on his fantasy team and had performed well, so it was a “good loss.” World sports now include drone racing and robot wars. Kids don’t
need to go to the mall, grocery store, or even a library anymore; it’s all online. There’s no need to meet people in person anymore, just the new talking, a.k.a. texting. There’s no need to visit Grandma and Grandpa any more; just Skype them and sing Happy Birthday or show them your new puppy. Where am I going with this? The current generation of grandparents is the coolest ever! They inspire me, and I look forward to following in their footsteps. They are letting their hair go gray; they are fit and taking care of themselves mentally and physically. They walk their dogs, ride their bikes, still dance and sing, read paper books — and take their grandkids scuba diving! Today’s generation of grandmas and grandpas take vacations and travel. They taste new foods, meet new people, travel in style, and
enjoy their kids and grandkids. They make time for being together and having fun. They are cool grandparents, according to their grandkids, and they teach their adult kids why disconnecting from their virtual worlds and reconnecting with each other is so important. Kids grow fast. If you think about it, you have 17 summers with them. Seventeen summers to make memories and impact their lives with something meaningful. How can you be more fun than a video game or draw their attention with actual words, not in a text message? Show them something they can’t record for later. Give them zero gravity, blowing bubbles, new sights, new sounds, a new world to explore. These experiences are almost as good as taking them to outer space
grandparents: They are adventure- spirited, filled with wisdom, and enjoy having outdoor fun with their grandkids. I remember we looked to our parents when we were children, trying to navigate our way through the world, learning things like how to: Ride a bike. Drive a car with a manual shift. Dress up fancy for prom. Cook something more than mac and cheese out of a box. Tie your first tie. Braid your hair. I even remember learning to whistle from my dad and carry a tune from my mom. Somewhere along the line, we move on, get busy, and find that (even as kids) we have it all figured out and have
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