They Call Me Grandpa by Randy Jones
In his new book They Call Me Grandpa, local author and grandparent Randy Jones offers solid advice for those navigating the constantly changing world of grandparenting today.
The Shepherd Express recently interviewed Jones about his book, challenges of grandparenting, and more:
What inspired you to write this book? Is this your first book?
I am a 59-year-old-grandpa of 10 ranging in ages from 3-23. I feel I am very lucky in the fact that I was blessed with grandkids at a very young age. Being a young and healthy grandpa allowed me to have a very fun and active life with the littles.
I am a believer in The Law of Attraction. For months, I would go shopping at Woodman’s and say to myself “having a book for sale here would be kind of cool.” Very soon after that a friend of a friend (who happens to be an award-winning author) was going to Chicago for a book-signing event. I asked if I could ride along to pick her brain for writing tips. We talked the whole way there but when we arrived at the venue, she gave me the best advice of all—“write about what you’re passionate about.”
I take being a grandpa very seriously, so when people go out of their way to tell me what a great job I am doing, I accept the compliment with great pride. People want to know what I do and what I continue to do to earn the respect and admiration of my grandkids. They want to know what make a great grandparent in today’s brave new world.
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They Call Me Grandpa is my first published book; however, I do have a children’s book written and laid out. At present, I’m looking for an illustrator.
What are some unique challenges associated with grandparenting today?
First, for old-school grandparents that were raised in the ‘70s and ‘80s, we need to remember our role. We are not the rule-makers, authority figures, and certainly not the disciplinarians. An example of this would be a family dinner outing at a sit-down restaurant, where one or more of the young ones started to misbehave. My first and (incorrect) response would be to handle the situation.
As a grandparent, we have to curb our instincts and let Mom or Dad handle things. Good or not-so-good choices, a misbehaving child is their responsibility not ours.
The second challenge I am seeing more and more of is that our kids (the parents of the grandkids) are keeping us from seeing the young ones. I have seen the posts in a number of grandparenting groups, social media platforms, and pages of personal friends. These grandparents are being told to stay away to save their kids the same emotional damage they went through.
How can this book help current and soon-to-be grandparents?
You are a grandparent—you have children in your life. They will look to you for guidance, support and approval. If you take only one thing from this book, I would like it to be this: your words and actions are their roadmap to life. You are Daddy or Mama’s dad or mom. You are the patriarch or matriarch of the family. You’re a grandparent, so please take that honor seriously.
Is there anything else you’d like Shepherd Express readers to know about your book?
After reading this book, I hope that you will be asking yourself these three important questions: What am I doing to be a great-grandparent? Can I do anything different to be even better? How can I help my grandkids reach their full potential so they can live happy and healthy lives?
