COMMAERNTTARY
If I Knew
By Dick Crippen
JULY/AUGUST 2017 | TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 139
I bet you’ve seen the bumper
sticker that says, “If I knew
how much fun grandkids were,
I would have had them first!”
I love that bumper sticker, but
I never really appreciated it until I became a grandparent.
Holding that second generation child and envisioning the
future is like nothing else I’ve ever experienced.
My wife Penny and I are blessed. Both my daughter and
son-in-law work, so when their baby came along they faced
some decisions. To be honest, the decisions were made much
easier by grandmother Penny, who started taking care of our
granddaughter during the day five days a week, when she
was a babe in arms, diapers and all.
We have two other grandchildren, a boy and a girl who
were born in Cincinnati. While they were still young, my son
accepted a position in England and moved the family there.
His wife was born and raised in England, so the transition was
easier for them than it might have been. The most difficult
part was that they ended up staying there for 12 years.
So even though we saw our son’s family at least once
every other year, we didn’t get to spend much time with
that granddaughter and grandson during their early years.
However, having our other granddaughter in the Tampa Bay
area changed things for us, as we went full-throttle on the
grandparent thing. She has been with us five days a week
from early morning until early evening.
Being so close has its own
problems. While it was great
to watch her grow and mature,
it is difficult to wake up and
realize that she is going to be
in high school and is almost a grown woman. At the start of
the next school year, we will have a grandson in his second
year of college, a granddaughter who is in her last year
of high school and one just entering high school. We are
concerned for us, as we know they will be fine, but what
are we going to do?
So my advice to those of you with children and
grandchildren: treasure the moments and take a lot of pictures
and videos so you will have a treasure trove of memories
that you can turn to anytime you want. Just remember that
they may find your memories of them to be somewhat
embarrassing if shared with their friends.
Those of you who are blessed with grandchildren
understand why the bumper sticker, “If I knew how much
fun grandkids were, I would have had them first!” has come
to be true for Penny and me. 9
EDITOR’S NOTE: Dick Crippen, a staple in Tampa Bay
broadcasting for more than 40 years, is a senior adviser for the
Tampa Bay Rays, and works extensively with the military. He is
active in the world of charity fundraising and sits on 11 boards
for nonprofit organizations
Dick Crippen