As a child, I did not have the opportunity to grow up with my father. He lived in another country, and I only got to see him twice a year. We lost contact in my early teens, and when I had my son, he was not around for that. Sadly, he passed away and never got to meet his grandson. It broke my heart knowing that my dad became a grandpa, and neither he nor my son would ever know one another. It was a gift, and I would never be able to hold it.
“One of the most powerful hand clasps is that of a new grand baby around the finger of a grandfather.”
– Joy Hargrove via lec.org
Watching other Families
What people don’t tell you is that when one of your parents is not in the picture, your child will miss out one day. The day my dad became a grandpa to my only child was a day I would never see. I would never be able to watch him with his grandson or have my son learn from him. I remember visiting friends and relatives and their children with their grandfathers. It broke my heart. My son would never experience that. He would never have those special moments building something in the garage or having his grandpa teach him how to ride a bike. He would never have what all the other kids had—a grandfather. I would never have the opportunity to watch my dad become a grandpa.
“A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.”
– author unknown via lec.org
This is a gift, so many people take for granted. These moments between your child and your father are so precious and so important. Now, with fathers day coming up, I do not get to be with my dad. And my son does not get to be with his grandpa either.
Read: Study: Grandparents Who Babysit May Live Longer
When a Dad Becomes a Grandpa
This moment is, like I mentioned before, so so precious. The moment your dad becomes a grandpa for the first time, their eyes will light up. It is like another chance for them to be a dad, so to speak. Seeing my friends and cousins’ dads be around their grandchildren for the first time was always so surreal to watch. I wish I could experience it for my own child. Sadly, neither my own dad nor his father’s dad would ever meet him.
“It is one of nature’s ways that we often feel closer to distant generations than to the generation immediately preceding us.”
– Igor Stravinsky
In closing, I would like to ask every reader to thank their dads for being grandparents to their children. Allow them to spend as much time as possible with them. Every moment is so important. Especially the moment your dad becomes a grandpa for the very first time. That is a gift, and you are very lucky indeed!
Keep Reading: The Love of a Grandparent is One of the Greatest Blessings a Kid can Have