GRANDSONS

I am going to have two grandsons in the next five months. Brody is first to arrive in early February with Eli emerging on the scene in early May. I am very excited. I am excited for several reasons: 1) They will be cousins close in age and proximity; 2) Being the same gender they may share a great deal in common; 3) Since they are close in age they will be able to enjoy many of their new experiences together; 4) I get to hang out with them.

I plan to do pretty much whatever I choose as their Pappy. I will, indeed, spoil them. I will give them mostly what they want and give them a bit of wink when they are a bit mischievous. These are all part of the "Pappy Bill of Rights."

Here are few other things I plan on doing:

• Make them Notre Dame fans. I have already given their parents, for them, Notre Dame baseball hats that match mine. I have had our names stitched on the back of our hats. I also have given then ND booties. My plan is to get them to be committed to ND and trusting that when they are old enough to care...the Fighting Irish will be good at football again.
• I will take them on a 5k run. First in one of those running strollers. Then, when they are about 5 or 6, have them actually run with me. Way down the road they can push me.
• I will take them on "Pappy Days" (kind of like Happy Days) at least once per month. These will be days where we will do really fun stuff that their parents may not be real thrilled about (like ice cream for lunch) and I would have never done with their parents...but, again, "Pappy Bill of Rights."
• We will take slow walks. Exam bugs. Collect stuff. Be silly. Tickle. Roll down hills. Watch clouds. Enjoy cartoons. Do the simple things at a slow pace.
• I will introduce them to Starbucks, Drive-thrus, movie theaters and shopping malls.
• We will attend church, see God in everyday things, pray and help them know God loves them even more than Pappy.
• I will do all I can to teach them tolerance, calmness in crisis, humor in most things, honesty and integrity.

This is not everything we will do, but it is a beginning. And we all have to begin somewhere. Being a Pappy makes sense at this time in my life. Which is good...as it is happening ready or not. But I AM READY!

Oh, yeah, and I like their parents too.