re: Why is the Grandfather-grandson relationship so special?

My dad's father was buried on my first birthday so I never got to know him and my mom's father, while he was a good man.. Fought in WWII. I never had a real close relationship with him. I was one of twenty-two grandkids so there was little opportunity to have a truly close relationship with him, but he was a good example of how a man is supposed to be.

He was a hard worker. Even after he retired he was always working, whether it was in his barn with his horses, going out to help someone with their AC (he had am AC business on side of his regular job in a plant and when he retired from the plant, he also retired from his AC business, but would go help friends and family when they needed help), on the tractor mowing, in the woods, which was his land, doing something, etc.. He and my grandmother raised 8 kids and lived in the house he built after he came home from the war. He was a man of faith and did not miss attending Mass on Sunday until he was no longer able to drive. It didn't matter how bad the weather was, how he felt, etc. He never made an excuse as to why he couldn't attend mass. While I am not a religious man, there is something to be said about his commitment to his faith.

If there was any extra time during the day he enjoyed painting and doing wood work, but he literally did not stop from sun up to sun down. And it was good to have been around someone like that. I am pretty sure that's where I got my need to always be doing something.. Even if its posting on a message board. But I always have to be doing something..

I can’t explain it, but my grandson is almost 2, and we have a bond that is stronger than anything I have experienced. I’m just rolling with it and enjoying the ride.

Never knew my father... my grandpa was the closest thing I had to a father. I miss him.

Grandchildren are God's way of letting you have revenge on your kids.

Grandfather grandson relationship is so special because as a father you don't get to sit back and relax with your own kids. Too busy with work etc. As a grandparent usually you are retired and , never having much time with your own son, want to make sure to spend as much time as much as possible with your grandson. Plus you maybe trying to correct things you did wrong raiding your own son.

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Well, he could be a Gump and you wouldn't need a time machine for him to frick his own grandmother.

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I only met that grandmother once or twice and I don’t even remember her. She lived out her final years in a mental hospital. I was 3 or 4 when she died. My dad didn’t much care for her and didn’t even go to her funeral. None of his siblings did. Tragic story all the way around.

I never had a chance to meet my grandfathers- both were born in the 1870's and died in the 1940's. I never even saw a picture of them until the last 10 years, so I can only imagine what it would have been like to talk with them. At least I was close with my Dad, who died at 95 three years ago, the loss has still affected me since his mind was so sharp, even in his 90's. I have grandsons now, but so far the relationships have not been strong, but that is due to many issues. I hope to change that at some point in the future, since I am not getting any younger! Funny thing is, my Dad, had a closer relationship with my grandkids, he was more forgiving of their problems, always saying it wasn't their fault for issues within my daughters lives...

My paw paw never held a child until I was born. And he had multiple kids and a few dozen grandkids at that point.

I was his shadow, and a very practical child as a result.

I'd give anything to sit at his kitchen table and share a pot of coffee.