On being a granddad

The years when our children were growing up were probably some of the happiest in our lives. To watch them develop, to see them progress and to help them on their way was the ultimate reward for the work we put into raising our girls.

Now that they are in their thirties, Jemma and Laura still give us a great deal of pleasure but it is not the same as when they were toddlers. Thankfully, that place has now been taken by our granddaughter Molly.

Every Wednesday afternoon, Molly’s father takes time off work to be with his daughter and most weeks he gives us a call to go on to Skype for a video chat. For Pam and I, those forty minutes or so when we are on line are just magical. To see the beam of delight on Molly’s face as she recognises us on screen would be ample reward in itself but we get much more than that.  We get to see Molly’s latest antics, hear her rehearse the latest words and see her respond to her dad’s words. Ask her the names of the children at her nursery and she will tell you, ask her how does papa walk and she will clasp her hands behind her back – wonderful.

After about forty minutes, you can tell that Molly has got bored with all this – she has had enough of a grandparents fix and is ready to move on to something else. At the end of the call, Dave encourages Molly to return to his lap so that she can blow us a few kisses, wave to us and say goodbye and then she is gone. Forty minutes seems hardly enough time to be with such a wonderful little person. 

It won’t be long though before we see Molly in the flesh and we can’t wait. The days are being ticked off on the calendar and plans for our visit are being confirmed. We are looking forward to that moment when we meet at the airport and Molly realises that we are not on the computer screen this time, we are actually there.

You know I’ve spent a lot of time at airports waiting for people to arrive. As I have stood there I’ve often seen eager young children rush to their grandparents desperate for that first big hug that says I love you and I have missed you.  For a long time I wanted to be one of of those grandparents and now I am!