Young Ian McNabb

  I guess I never expected to be a grandfather so I never imagined what it might be like. But now it's sinking in and I'm very excited. I can hardly wait until Ian is old enough to come along with me and I've been dreaming of the things we might do together. He might learn things from me. And maybe me from him.
I'll admit that Ian has a boatload of toys and some are from us but I don't intend to have a colorful plastic menagerie at our house. I'd like his experience here to be more like mine was in my youth. His primary toys around here will be rocks and sticks. Hey, we turned out okay, didn't we? Well, didn't we?
  We'll walk in the woods and learn to identify insects, trees, birds, and butterflies. We'll bring binoculars, both he and me.
  We'll build campfires. I'll let him light the fire and poke it with a stick.
  We'll build birdhouses and keep track of who moves in.
  We'll ride bikes to far places just to see what we can see.
  We'll drink from the hose.
  We'll shoot .22's at cans and stumps once he's learned the rules of firearms safety.
  We'll sing Beatles songs and play harmonicas.
  We'll go on picnics, set out a blanket, bring a Frisbee.
  We'll have a secret handshake.
  We'll fly radio-controlled planes and once they're three-mistakes high, I'll hand him the controls to try his hand.
  We'll go snorkeling in local lakes to see the bass and bluegills. And we'll make gigantic ice cream sundaes. Big ones, yeah!
  We'll sneak around in the woods at night with flashlights.
  We'll build and launch model rockets. He'll run, trying to catch them as they parachute back to earth.
  We'll catch frogs and snakes, identify them with our field guides and put them back where we found them, wishing them a pleasant day.
  We'll look at the moon with our telescope and learn the names of the constellations.
  We'll build a tree house where he can go to be alone if he wants. I'll make sure he's not bored.
  Maybe we'll just lie on our backs and stare at the clouds, making up stories about the shapes we see.
  The possibilities do seem endless. Yeah, it will be quite an adventure. I see great things ahead. Well, actually...I dread the day he asks to borrow my car.


  He's a great kid, really. He lights up like the 4th of July when he sees us. And he's a mugger who loves to smile. He'll smile at you until you smile back and once you do, he beams.
  We babysit once a week while George and Emmy are working so we've been able to establish a tight bond.
  A couple days ago he was acting sleepy so I put him in his crib thingy. But he wanted none of that so I sat him in my lap and read to him until he was asleep. I gently laid him in the crib and tip-toed out of the room. Chris took a nap on the couch while I checked my email on the laptop. After a while I heard some whimpering from his room that became downright sobbing. When I got to him he looked terrified. It may have been an "abandonment" thing or maybe a bad dream. I picked him up and told him everything was alright and that I would never leave him. He clung to me like wisteria to a post. I sat in the rocker with his arms tightly around my neck. His sobbing subsided and contentment slowly returned to his face. Within minutes he was back asleep. But this time I didn't put him in the crib. I was happy. And for the first time in my life I felt like a real father/grandfather. I never thought I possessed that instinct. But maybe I do after all.
  Today is his first birthday and there's gonna be a party!
  Sure hope I'm around for his 21st.