Whether you’re a newly-minted senior or one of the many longstanding “seasoned citizens,” Baby Boomers and older folks alike certainly possess a wealth of choice and experience when it comes to treating their grandkids to a good time. As a late-stage Boomer, I can recall the days when I and my siblings were just kids in elementary school going about our tiny lives amid the hazy backdrop of the 1960s.

Remembering those carefree days, filled with walking to and from school, having kickball games at recess, taking in the smells of hot lunches in the cafeteria and the sounds of rustling lunch bags and clanking Daniel Boone, Lost in Space and Barbie-themed lunch boxes, we had few if any concerns in the world.

Now, time can be a rather abstract concept to a grade school kid, but by fourth grade the calendar was a concrete thing to me; a tangible representation of the future, which I and my sisters would use to plan and contemplate distant, yet important events.

Some of the more important mileposts during our “kid-year” were those precious visits from our grandparents. Inevitably, once an arrival date had been established, we would keep count of the days until Nan and Pop would come into town for one of those longed-awaited visits. Usually coinciding with birthdays, holidays and, of course, summer vacation; those were the times for which we truly lived. Continue reading →