If you know anything about me, then you know that my grandparents are my go-to therapists, my personal Uber drivers, my role models and most importantly, my best friends. Throughout my life, they’ve been no more than a five-minute car ride and a phone call away. As a result, they’ve been there with me through my ups and my downs, whether it be receiving my first college acceptance letter or dressing myself at the meek age of five (and let me tell you, it was not a pretty sight). While my parents and sister laughed at the camouflage pants with purple striped shirt I was sporting, my grandparents applauded me for my independence and told me I looked beautiful, as any other grandparent would do.
Since my grandparents live within five minutes of me, I have been more than fortunate to share so many laughs and memories with them in my 20 years of life. Between taking my sister and our two cousins to Europe in 2012, to last-minute trips to the diner for a quick bite, my grandparents have been with me through it all and I would not change that for the world.
Even with all the love that they constantly shower me with, they can also be a complete pain in the butt. On the one hand, my grandpa absolutely loves to discuss politics. Not long ago, we went on a "date" to my favorite restaurant and I did not say a single word for two hours because this man has the “can’t stop, won’t stop” mentality when it comes to talking about politics. Once you get him started, he will not stop. Period. It wasn’t until the waitress came to clean off the table when he realized how long he had been talking for. Speaking of cleaning, my grandpa loves cleaning just like a Long Island girl likes an everything bagel with cream cheese. More often than not, he tends to subconsciously clean while talking about politics. Take that for multitasking.
My grandma, on the other hand, also does her fair share of being a complete and total annoyance. Not a day goes by without a lecture from her, whether it be about budgeting my money wisely or why the sky is blue. One moment I’m telling her about my day at school and the next thing I know, she’s giving me a lecture on how to properly raise a family. Sometimes I ask myself why I use Google when I have a grandma that gives me a full synopsis on anything I need to know.
More often than not, I feel the need to carry around a roll of duct tape when I’m around my grandparents. Not because they’re old and falling apart (which, actually, they’re not, because they happen to be quite sharp), but rather they just don’t know when to shut their mouths.
All jokes aside, I can confidently say that I would not be the person I am today without having my grandparents by my side every step of the way. They’ve given me more than I could ever ask for and I don’t think there is any way I could repay them for that. For the past 20 years, they’ve been there when I needed a shoulder to cry on, a laugh to share or a hand to hold. They know me better than I know myself, and have taught me more than I can even fathom.
Whether you’re young or old, near or far, or anything in between, let your grandparents know how much you love them. Call them, text them or send them a letter for old times sake. Just a few moments of your time can go a long way.
I can only hope that one day, I’ll be half as great of a grandparent as my grandparents have been to me.
