Grandparents, Again!
By Thomas Morrone, CFP®, CPA
It is no secret that Paul & Jill are now the proud parents of two boys. You are familiar with Kyle who has been the subject of many newsletter stories. Now we have Ryan to add to the happy family and he will certainly be the subject of many newsletters to come, including this writing. Ryan came into this world on Sunday, June 28, 2020. Both Jill and Ryan are doing well. Now that Paul and Jill are the proud parents of two little boys, Cathy and I are the proud grandparents as well. It is amazing.
Becoming a grandparent for the first time was such a wonderful experience. Having a second grandchild is another level of wonderful. My apologies in advance for sharing this excitement but my fingers just can’t type fast enough as the emotions transfer from my heart and soul through the keyboard. It is easily forgotten how small and fragile a newborn is. Their little fingers and toes are so tiny. We have been chasing Kyle around and he is like a little linebacker. Now we have Ryan, who is a little peanut and is the size of a football. He is so cute, and we can just stare at him for hours. It will be so much fun to watch him grow and develop into a little boy like his big brother. Kyle has been just that, the big brother. They are both so lucky to have each other, to have their parents, their grandparents, their aunts and uncles and of course, let’s not forget Buddy.
Grandparenting is so much fun and is also a ton of work. Fun work. Paul and Jill live close by so there are quick pop by experiences. We do not take their proximity for granted because we know of so many situations where the grandchildren are not close by and in many instances, there is a plane ride required to visit their grandchildren. Even though we can be at their house in a quick 15 minutes, facetime visits and texts with pictures and videos are very common. The technology that we have today to feel closer to family and friends is incredible. I see how Kyle reacts to smart phones, iPads and the desktop computer. Ryan will be at another level with technology as the two of them grow up in a world so different from my childhood. We had to make phone calls (on land lines) to friends and family and hopefully they were home to receive the call. If they were not at home, we left a message on the answering machine, if they had one. Otherwise the phone would “ring off the hook”. Now we text or call and are instantly connected and sharing whatever picture, video or experience about the grandchild. Even though our childhood was much simpler, I do enjoy the connectivity of today, especially as a grandparent.
Ryan and Kyle are less than two years apart. So many developments for Kyle are still occurring as he enters the “terrible twos”. It will be fun to draw the parallels between the brothers as they both grow and mature, side by side. Cathy and I will be there every step of the way and look we forward to many days by the pool and at our little beach with Ryan and Kyle. There will be many sleepovers in our future, and we will be exhausted at the end of the day and would not trade that exhaustion for anything. Cathy and I are a great grandparent team and we have a system in place. When Kyle comes over, we are ready. We are looking forward for many future visits from Ryan as well.
I have said it before and I will certainly repeat this again as we enter yet another chapter in our lives as grandparents, Life is Good, Life is Very Good! Thank you for letting me share our happiness with you.
Until the next Tom’s Take…
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