GRANDPA’S BOOTS
There are several times of year that many parents almost dread because at those times their budgets have to squeeze out a few more items than they truly can afford. Yet they cannot afford to ignore them either. This holiday time is one of them. Another time is a return to school in the fall and the return of winter when you learn that last year’s boots or coats no longer fit.
This weekend we discovered our fourteen year old grandson who lives with his hardworking single dad, was ill prepared for walking in the snow. And wet, slushy snow was here. He was coming to spend the weekend with us so it just seemed like a good time to do a “grandparent thing” and buy him some boots.
We trekked off to the stores. I left him with his grandpa in the boot section. Far too soon, it seemed, they found me happily browsing in a far section of the store. They sported the smiles of success all over their faces. Something inspired me to ask my husband, Tom, “Did you see anything you might like?” In fact he had. He saw some boots that were like the ones he had seen a friend wear. But, of course, he could not justify the expense.
Tom is known as “pops” in our family and all four of our children will tell you that pops will do most anything for all of the rest of us, and rarely something special for himself. This was my opportunity. Guess who read it all over my face? Our grandson!
Mitchell giggled and said, “You’re goin’ down, Grandpa! Grandma has made up her mind.” And he was right. Tom protested. Mitchell helped me out and continued to tell him he may as well give in. And I persisted in leading my favorite man with the guilty little gleam in his eyes back to the boot section “just to see.” They did have the right size.
We left with new boots for both of them and I felt one of those passing moments of complete smugness in doing something for our “pops” who models such goodness to all of us. I also noticed once again that our kids “read us like a book” most of the time. They have a special built-in radar that lets them know things about us that we might not notice in ourselves. “You’re goin’ down, Grandpa!” has left me smiling. And it was all for good. I hope it most often is!