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About the Author

Gwumpa Stories

I'm a gwumpa. A grandfather, more precisely, but to those who matter to these stories, I'm simply Gwumpa. Those are the ones who sing with me when no one else is around to hear my squawking. The ones who think that a dusty old model car is a trophy for winning a racing event, even when told the car was actually a gift from someone long ago. The ones who look at their mom and dad and then at me, and play, "spot the differences" in their heads. The ones who carry on my parents' legacy. I'm very aware of how precious are the moments of clarity the little ones bring to us - if we are tuned in enough to listen to what we are hearing. That's why this site exists... to help me remember this as my life force ebbs and wanes. Perchance to bring a smile to your face. Maybe you have the honour of recognising these these moments, too, with your own children and little grandbitties. If so, you are blessed indeed. Peace and awareness to you , always.

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Driving me batty

Ah the advantages of having an alter ego.

Grandboy did his nighttime routine when momma’s at work… Toilet, teeth, story, prayers, etc.

I’d wondered why he donned his Batman mask half-way through. I didn’t have to wonder for long.

“Gwumpa i need to go potty.” [smiles]

I did the grandfatherly grunt. “But you already went.”

“No i didn’t. I Batman. BATMAN have to go potty now…”

He’s got at least three old halloween getups. Could be a long night 😀


Photo credit: Some rights reserved by boskizzi 

Here, have a baton

Hands Passing Baton at Sporting Event

The passing on of family traditions and lines of thought is so important. Today the grandboy was pretending to be a shark.

“You afwaid, you afwaid of me gwumpa?”

Playing along, i said yes, i was afraid.

I recognized the gleam in his eye as he saw I had fallen into his trap.

“NICE TO MEET YOU, AFWAID! I IS A SHARK”

Hehehe well played, youngun, well played


Photo credit: tableatny 

Guidance from the maddest men of all

Breakfast.

Little one, being a little stubborn.

“NO Gwumpa, no want food for breakfast.”

I offer a single bit of cereal. “Here, I got a new type (it really was a new type, I wasn’t lying).  Try this out and see if you like it.  You don’t have to eat the whole bowl.  I’m just testing to see if you like this new one.”

[nom]

I walk away.

The little one pipes up. “HEY GWUMPA I LIKE IT.  I can have more?  With milk in it?”

The gods of Madison Avenue were smiling.

A smashing concept

The grandboy and I are discussing physics.  Gravity and mass, specifically.  He conceptually understands that mass attracts mass and that’s what makes things fall and stuff.

He also knows that everything has mass (we’ll go into the neutrino debate later on, once I study up on that).

The tree has mass.  The ball has mass.  The dog has mass.  His head has mass.  Etc.

So what does he say when he jumps on a stick and breaks it?

“I don’t have mass today, gwumpa.  Today I have SMASH.”


Photo credit: Attribution Some rights reserved by Gwyrosydd

What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine

“No, gwumpa,” chirped a small voice as I poured a cup of juice, “I don’t want juice please.”

“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow, “well, it’s not for you.”

[three, two, one…],

“…but you can have some of mine maybe…”

“Ah yes please!  Want your juice.”

—–

A little mental elbow grease sometimes gets things moving along.

 

 

Photo credit: Eyelashes of a Blue Skinned God

 

 

Not a cup gwumpa

I made the mistake of picking up some cups that were embedded in the grandboy’s collection of toys.

“No don’t please don’t pick it up.”

“I need to pick up the cups so we can wash them.”

“Not a cup gwumpa.” [looks at my hand] “That’s a freeze chamber. Need freeze chamber to stop bad guys gwumpa.”

 

 

Spiderboy

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A breathless grandboy came running up to me, wiping his face.

“GWUMPA gwumpa hey gwumpa look hey gwumpa gwumpa AAGH hey”

“Hm. What’s the problem?”

“Gwumpa i ran into spider web. Spider web on my face.  Look see see look spider web on my face!  Spider web.”

[looking] “I don’t see it.  I think you got it all off.”

“I don’t like spiders.  Gwumpa go kill it.”

“No he’s fine.  He was outside.  You walked into HIS house.  He should be mad at YOU.”

[he doesn’t buy the argument, crosses his arms] “Hmph.  Don’t like spiders”

“Spiders outside are good.  They eat mosquitoes and bugs and stuff.  Just watch where you are walking and you both will be ok.”

“Ok but he don’t come into MY house gwumpa”

“Good plan, sir.  I like that.”


 

photo credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/olibac/

Penalty on the calvinball play

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I was chasing the grandboy around the couch to get the little nerf football from him.  He had just got back from visiting with his uncle who is an American football fan, so he is in sports mode now.

As we were racing around the couch he pulls out a pretend handgun and shoots me down and then does a little dance.

I throw a red flag on the play.  Everyone knows grandstanding is unsportsmanlike.