Creed Crowder plans to spend this Father’s Day celebrating with his two sons and their families, which include 4 grandchildren ranging in age from 4 to 17.
“I was raised in Pennsylvania and my grandparents lived in Manchester, Tennessee,” said Mr. Crowder. “We stayed in touch through letters and phone calls throughout the year. They would give hints to all of the grandchildren about things we were going to do when we visited them for two weeks each July. I have great memories of those times. They were special.”
It is those kinds of memories that Mr. Crowder hopes to create for his own grandchildren.
“We are fortunate to live in the same community as all of our grandchildren,” said Mr. Crowder. “Since my time with my grandparents was very limited because we lived so far away, it has been a real joy to actually watch our grandchildren grow and change. We have learned that it is really important to spend time with them when they are young because when they get older they have less time to spend with you. I think it has also been a blessing to our children to have some extra support to take some of the load off of their plate.”
According to a 2002 Grandparent study conducted by AARP, most grandparents (68 percent) see a grandchild every one or two weeks. The two biggest barriers to grandparents spending time with their grandchildren are: living too far away and their grandchildren’s busy schedules.
“When we were raising our own children, life was much more complicated,” said Mr. Crowder. “Now that life has slowed down a little, I think we are much more relaxed with our grandchildren. Sometimes we look back and wish we had done some things differently, but hind sight is always 20/20. We have been accused of letting the grandchildren get away with things we would never have let the boys get away with when they were growing up.”
The Crowders have learned to give advice when asked and there have definitely been times when their children and grandchildren will solicit wisdom.
“In addition to giving wise counsel, we provide transportation, attend sporting events, offer to have the kids spend the afternoon or night with us and we try to share stories with the grandkids about family history and what it was like when we were growing up,” said Mr. Crowder. “They always seem amazed at how simple things were back then and the things they have today that we didn’t have that they just take for granted. I can remember going to family reunions with my parents when I was a child. That is not something our boys and their families are really interested in doing. My wife and I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give our grandchildren is a sense of connectedness to family history.”
One of the ways the Crowders have tried to pass on the family legacy is through traditions like holiday family gatherings. Everybody comes together for a meal and to just spend relaxed time together. Recently, one of the grandchildren asked “C.C.” (what they call him) when they were going to get the whole family together again because she missed being with her cousins. C.C. thought that was a great sign that they were accomplishing their goal!
“I hope when it is all said and done, the grandchildren will know that I am always there for them and love them unconditionally,” said Mr. Crowder. “I love my boys and am so proud of them as I watch them raise their own children. I am truly thankful that we can be so involved in the lives of our grandchildren. I can’t think of a better gift for Father’s Day.”
