Being a proud grandfather I take it all in, and of course take pride in the fact that somewhere along the way maybe some of my genes attributed to these enormous feats of genius.
Their lives are hectic, and full of having to go here and there taking kids to appointments, school, play dates etc...and that's great, in fact I sometimes miss that part of raising kids, but then I regain my senses while relaxing in my recliner flipping channels, and settling back into my comfort zone of knowing "Been there, Done that". I love them all dearly , but there's great satisfaction knowing that Mom and Dad will get them back after we are done spoiling them for a few days.
In knowing my feelings about "Been there, Done that"...about a year ago while I was still gainfully employed(that means before retirement), my working buddy made me an offer I couldn't refuse.
He and his family live on 10 acres, so naturally they have animals to occupy some of that space, and one day he looked out to find a new addition to his animal population....Buddy The Big Dog! Since he already had 3 or 4 other dogs, he knew he needed to find a good home for this friendly big fella.
Hey Jim...you want a dog? Those words went in one ear and out the other when he first asked me. I mean we already had a little Taco Bell looking , lap sitting, spoiled rotten dog at home, but as the day progressed, and I kept thinking...Should I, why shouldn't I, how much trouble could he be, it's not like having kids ....or is it?
Ok ...bring him over to the house I'll take him...Yes those were the words I heard coming out of my mouth, and so we, or should I say I adopted a new member to our family. I'm changing the we to an I because it seems when Buddy does something wrong...IE chews up stuff, bumps into things or people, climbs on furniture, etc. "I" get the pleasure of hearing about how "I" wanted another dog. Thus going from plural to singular in a manner which is similar to hearing...He's YOUR son, instead of being OUR son.
And Now ..."Here's Buddy" A few days past, before my friend dropped by...the door bell rings, I open it and in swoops a big hairy critter tugging at a leash, tail wagging fast and hard, head moving side to side taking in his new residence...or maybe he was just sizing up the place to make sure we met his qualifications...Oh well either way it didn't matter, he had made his grand entrance, and was here to stay.
It's now been about a year since Buddy joined the family, and he's fit in quite well...Well except for the time he got out, and was picked up by animal control(which cost me 40 bucks to bail him out of animal jail), when he found a way to open the gate, or when he dug holes all around the back yard...yes Golden Retrievers love to dig... or when he decided to tear up some of the stuffed animals we have for the grand kids...yes they also like to explore new things, or his first vet visit that cost 300.00, or when you're sleeping at night, and he comes and puts his face in your face, breathing on you, just to let you know he's there, ready, willing, and able, waiting for you to get up and play...Boy this sounds like raising kids to me.
Buddy has become a big part of our family...the grand kids love to play with him, and watch him fetch a ball, they lay all over him as he tolerates them tugging, and pulling on his hair or ears, he's just a big ol lovable bear with big brown eyes and a look that just says ...pet me will ya.
Now that the kids are grown, and have their own families, and our empty nest syndrome is now just a thing of the past(it really didn't last that long anyway)...I still find myself taking care of family, albeit Buddy's not one of the kids, but he is ONE OF THE FAMILY, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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