Harrington 2

Katherine Harrington

Children often do not find their grandparents the people they relate to the most or have

the most fun with, yet when I was younger, my grandfather was my favorite person to spend time

with. I believe it was because I was a very curious kid, which meant I loved hearing all of my

Pop-pops stories and watching his day to day routine. Whenever I went to visit, I would pick up

on his routine and mimic it. I read newspapers with him in the morning, he would obviously read

the news while I, being the kid I was, read the cartoon section. He would drink his coffee, which

I thought was so cool, and I would drink my orange juice, as we read. After we finished our

sections we would show each other our favorite article/cartoon. He was an enigma, as my mom

would say, just a very odd and secretive man. With that, he had the best stories, ones that I could

listen to for hours. He taught me things such as throwing darts, playing pool, and how to properly

punch. Although they were things that a little girl normally does not do, it made me feel special

and on an equal level as him; which I believe was the purpose of him teaching me. He made me

a tough cookie without a doubt, but there were definitely valuable lessons behind all the fun.

I think my time spent with my pop-pop has shaped the person I am today. He was always

my biggest supporter and made it prominent that giving up was never going to be an option for

me. He was a very hardened up man on the outside, some would say a little scary, but he had the

biggest heart and the warmest hugs when he was with me. I find similarities between us all the

time now, especially as I am getting older. I’m a little rough around the edges sometimes, I can

be tough when I need to be, I don’t take crap, and I can throw a mean dart. But in that, I also love

the people in my life very much and make them know that all the time. He showed me the right

times when to be tough, when to be tough on someone else, when to show love, and to be
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passionate about what I do in life. He may have been an enigma, but I definitely think I cracked

him, and after cracking him I realized he was the type of person I wanted to be.

I think it’s important for grandparents to be more involved in the lives of their

grandchildren, not just because of my experience, but because there is so much they can give to

the next generation. It’s important to express values and morals down to a growing child, to

show them what is right and wrong. I believe it is also very important for grandparents to share

their experiences and their own childhood memories, so that their grandchildren appreciate what

they have more and to know where their family has come from. Although I found my time with

my pop pop to be entertaining and fun, I did not realize he was teaching me the whole time and

shaping me as a person. He passed down his legacy in hopes to better me in life, not for his own

pride, but for my well being in my future; something I have only recently understood.