The Story of My Grandson

I never had boys – never wanted them. I wished for girls both times I was pregnant and that’s exactly what I got – little girls that I could dress up and make pretty. I don’t know what that says about me, but that’s what I wanted.

Well, when my second grandchild arrived and was a boy, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. However, since mom and dad both worked full time, I became the designated babysitter so I probably got closer to him than anyone.

Andy was a colicky baby. In fact, I always said that he brought up much more than I ever fed him! But he sure was cute and we spent a lot of time together as he was growing up. By age three, we had a ball together, just wrestling on the floor or having pillow fights. We’d go to the park many an afternoon and I’d push Andy and his sister Hannah on the swings. Afterward, we’d often stop at McDonald’s for a snack. I never ate there though, as I don’t care for the food.

By the time Andy was five, I knew he was very smart. He just seemed to know things, if you know what I mean. And he’d argue his point about anything quite successfully. I often wondered if he was one of those “star” children I’d read about, who were much more aware than children should be at that age.

I remember sitting down to dinner at my daughter’s place one evening when Andy piped up, “I saw grandpa again last night.”

When he was nine, he told me about a ghost he saw at school that looked like he might have been a former janitor there. He also talked of seeing angels quite often. Again, mom and dad discouraged him from talking about any of this, so he came to me. He asked me a lot of questions about spirits: how they came to be, why they exist, etc. He also asked me if there were bad spirits and I told him no, just people who were upset or angry about something that might have happened to them.

Now Andy is 10 – soon to be 11 – and he hasn’t mentioned spirits in a good six months. Needless to say, I haven’t questioned him about it. I figure if he has something to tell me, he will. Otherwise, I’ll just let it be. However, it does bother me that this side of him has been shut off by mom and dad. He certainly had a gift for this sort of thing and could have grown up to help a lot of lost souls. Then again, maybe I’m jumping the gun here. Maybe he’s just keeping it to himself these days and not talking about it.

Andy is also a hockey player and has been in the sport for five years now. I remember when he first played – he and his mates spent more time on their behinds than on their feet! It was just too cute. Now he’s playing with a passion and the game is getting more physical. I worry about that. I try to attend every game. A few weeks ago, he was flat out on the ice after trying to get the puck out of his end. I thought he’d smacked his head when he went down, but it turned out to be just a slightly twisted ankle that recovered before the next week’s game. Whew!

He also has boxes full of hockey cards and lots of other hockey paraphernalia in his room. For Christmas, I knew if I gave him anything to do with hockey, he’d love it, so I ordered some books on hockey, plus a special hockey quiz for kids.

Andy does exceptionally well in school and usually has the highest marks in his class. He also loves music and is learning to play the guitar. He just started two months ago and already, his teacher has asked him when he will get an electric guitar, because he thinks he’s ready for it. I was listening to him play a song the other day and it sounded just like the first few lines of an Elvis song. (Darn, I can’t remember which one right now!) Anyway, I was quite surprised, as it was an older ditty that he was playing. I had him play it for my daughter later on and she agreed that it was an Elvis song. Andy really liked it after that and kept playing it until he got it perfect!

Andy also loves karaoke. Mom bought a karaoke machine and on some evenings, she puts music on and we all take turns singing to it. Andy is a real hoot when he gets up to sing as he gets his hands, feet and face into the music as well! Since he likes music so much, the other gift I got him for Christmas this year is a DJ Scratch Mixer. I can just see him putting on more shows for me as a DJ.

Andy really is a perfectionist and he expects that from others as well. Since Hannah is a year older with a mental delay, he gets extremely impatient with her and they fight often – sometimes coming to blows that I have to get in the middle of to break up.
Of course, no child is perfect, right? But I have to tell you. I am so glad I have a grandson, because it’s been a real learning process. He’d probably say he’s learned more from me, but somehow, I doubt that. Lol All I know for sure is that he’s one little boy with a bright future ahead of him if he stays on the right track and hopefully he’s smart enough to do just that.