A rainy Father’s Day didn’t stop the kids from being able to stop by and see Grandpa Bob’s toy.
Father’s Day is one of those holidays that means less to me now that my own father is gone. Yes, we remember him fondly, but we do so on other days as well. As for my own adult offspring recognizing my participation in their existence, that was always a forced celebration so it’s rare now if I even get a text from any of them. I am increasingly of the opinion, given the ubiquity of single-parent families, that perhaps Mother’s Day and Father’s Day should be combined into a single Parents’ Day so to both recognize the effort of parents filling both gender and avoid the immediate depression that comes from having a day that specifically celebrates someone who, for many, was the perpetrator of their abuse.
Father’s Day is still a bit awkward with the younger two. Sure, they call me Dad, but it’s never been something I force on them and pushing Father’s Day on them has the effect of reminding them of the deficiencies of their biological participant. However, they are fortunate to have Kat’s Dad, warmly referred to as Grandpa Bob. The kids love their Grandpa Bob and Grandpa Bob enjoys doing things with his grandkids, especially now that they’re big enough to not require intermittent diaper changes.
Grandpa Bob has always enjoyed aviation but it’s taken on a new enthusiasm as he recently purchased a used Ercoupe, a two-seat craft from the mid-twentieth century that still enjoys a fierce and loyal following. Grandpa Bob is still tweaking the engine and since it was raining, going for a ride wouldn’t have been advisable anyway. Instead, we met Grandpa Bob at the open hangar where he stores the plane.
Are kids and airplanes ever not a good mix? Maybe with infants whose ears object to the change in air pressure. Outside that, there’s not much anything more cool than getting to sit in the cockpit of an airplane, any airplane. Needless to say, they were thrilled. Pictures were required. We hope you’ll enjoy seeing them as much as we enjoyed taking them.
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