My granddaughter will tell you…

(Posted by Gayle)

Last weekend Ron’s daughter came to visit with her husband and three daughters.  The girls are 14, 10, and 8 & 11/12ths years old.  The youngest appears to be a “May” in the making.  She is a very outgoing little girl and cracks us up.  She gets along great with kids and grownups alike.  After the recent visit she told her mom she wanted to marry an older man like a grandfather (please note Ron is the only grandfather Camryn has ever known).  She soon stated her reasoning.

Most of our grandkids learned the word Popandgigi, before they discovered the individual words – Pop and Gigi.  We are a pair to them.  As far as I know, May and December are only months to Camryn.  She’s not one of our readers yet!  She knows I’m younger than her Pop, but that doesn’t have much meaning for her.  Once, when the girls were looking at pictures of their mother’s childhood they asked where Gigi was.   Their mother was diplomatic and just said that Pop and Gigi were not married yet.  This particular daughter and I have a 10 year age difference.  It is rumored, on quite good authority, that my son-in-law replied under his breath “in diapers.”

Camyrn’s reasoning for wanting to marry an older man tugged at my heart strings.  It’s one of the things I treasure about my December man.  It hasn’t always been true about Ron – but time, love, 4 children, 12 grandchildren (lucky 13 is on the way), and grief have had their way with him.   I remember watching it happen to my grandfather.  My father didn’t live long enough to undergo the transformation.  Camryn is wise beyond her years and someday will understand the full meaning of her words.  I’m pretty sure she was talking about Pop’s lap, but I know it’s true of his heart, too.

What did she say?

“I want to marry someone older than me, like a grandfather because they are softer.”