I never thought I would become a father at the age of 46.....

                                                 

Now I know what you are saying.  Well, 46 is not too old to become a father , but what you have to understand is,  that before I became “father “,  I was ” grandfather”.  Our Grandkids had been part of our life since the day they were born and we did what most Grandparents do which is stand to the side and watch them grow, slipping in to take them for the weekend and spoil them rotten.  

Oh what joy it was to take them into a toy store and let them go wild, picking out whatever they wanted and with the flick of the old credit card, our deed was done.  Who cared about how loud, or big or how many little pieces it had, that’s Mom and Dad’s problems.  Then Sunday afternoon we would deliver them back with a quick kiss and a “Love ya” and scurried away giggling,  betting each other which was going to wear out first the batteries or Mommy and Daddy’s nerves.

Then things changed.  Due to circumstances beyond our control, both parents made the choice to step away from their parental responsibilities.  That’s when Grandma and Grandpa became Mom and Dad.  Never was there a second thought about whether we could or should become parents again.   That’s just what you do.

To keep ours and their sanity, we decided the best way to keep the kids entertained on the weekends and during the summer months were to go on what became known as our “Texas Photo Safaris”.  Of course there was the Alamo, Galveston’s Sea Wall, The Big Bend and numerous County Fairs but the areas that we spent our best times were on the Hill Country and Central Texas back roads.

These early morning hayfields, cactus patches, creek crossings and little four-way stop sign towns. You know the ones, where the folks are sitting on the front porch or the bench in front of the feed mill store, waiting to give you a wave as you pass.  These were the backdrops we loved to see during our little adventures into the Texas Unknown.

Over the next few years I can’t think of a Texas state park, historical sites,    museums or tourist trap that didn’t get a visit by the our camera packing Clan. From a stuffed two headed calf to the giant fake twenty foot long sofa in front of the second hand furniture store we looked, we laughed and we enjoyed being a family.

There was usually no definite route or game plan. It usually started with “I don’t know, we’ll know when we get there.”   And when the elder’s physical  or mental capabilities were exhausted it would be “OK, we’re there, now let’s head back”. Thank God for Digital Cameras and portable DVD players to mellow them out in the backseat on that long ride home.

Now, ours are like most kids in their teenage year, have come to the same common conclusion that no longer does Mom and Dad know anything.  With this, comes the questioning by most parents, where did I go wrong, or who is this child?  This isn’t the same child I raised, where did my little baby go?

 Sometimes these are the days when parents find the urge to just close their eyes, reach over and hit the fast forward.  Unfortunately, some of us do that, some parents just say, OK, I’ve done my best and way too early, they set their kids free. In most cases, this is not a good idea, trust me, they still need you, remember, I’ve been here before.

As for my wife and I, one of these days, sometime in our future we will be able to step back a second time and say.  OK, we’ve done our best, and let them go to enjoy life as an adult. Then, when their kids are picked up by Grandma and Grandpa we will be able to do what Grandparents are suppose to do, whip out the old credit card, spoil’em rotten and drop them off with a “Love ya”.  Then we will turn away in our wheelchairs, riding off into the sunset snickering and wondering which will run out first the batteries or Mommy and Daddy’s’ nerves.