Friday 29 July 2011

The curious case of the interchangeable grandads

On a trip out with Grandad yesterday afternoon, Boy #2 followed him across a carpark and temporarily lost sight of his grandfather when Dad walked around the back of the car to put something in the boot. So I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by the confusion that followed when, as Boy #2 reached the side of our car in the busy carpark he saw an older gentlemen sitting in the driving seat of the car next to ours with the window open and his head down as he sealed an envelope. Like my father, this man had grey hair, glasses, and was wearing a checked shirt. The similarities ended there, but when you're five...

Boy #2 walked up to the car and then inquired incredulously what the man was doing, in that car. It was immediately clear to me that he had got grandads confused, but of course the man didn't know that and was quite shocked to be accosted by a small boy when he was quietly going about his business.

I cleared the situation up for both of them (Boy #2, that's not your grandad; Non-grandad, so sorry, he thought you were his grandad), and they proceeded to have a short chat about what the man was actually up to. It transpired that he was writing an envelope to post to his grandson, and was delighted to have the chance to chat with a substitute. This made Boy #2's next pronouncement - thankfully made from within my father's car just before we were driven away by the Real McCoy - all the more embarrassing.

"Mama? That man looked eeeeeevillllll."

He didn't, by the way. Luckily the windows were closed so I hope he didn't hear my son's libellous remark..

7 comments:

  1. How funny. A few years ago I was walking along the street with then 6 year old, who calmly said "Oh there's grandad" and kept walking. The fact that my father-in-law lives about a thousand miles away and usually announces when he's going to be in the vicinity didn't seem to occur to my son!

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  2. Very funny and I can just imagine. My boys have sometimes pointed out grey or white haired men on the street and asked 'is it grandad?'.

    At the moment they are obsessed with the Grandpa character in Ben10. There was one episode where he turned evil, and since then they have been asking if that could happen in real life....

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  3. What a delightful story! I bet your son will remember that for the rest of his life.

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  4. EPM, just like the fact that Boy #2 hadn't actually seen my dad open the strange door or climb into it - but there you go!

    NVG, god, does he? Must watch out for that one as my boys are similarly obsessed!

    Jen, I suspect my mercurial son has forgotten this one already...

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  5. At least he *was* a grandad. One of my friends told a story of waiting to get on a carnival ride with her son. When their turn came, the carnival worker assured her son that he'd fasten him in tightly 'right here next to Grandma."
    I don't think she's ever really recovered from that one.

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  6. that is hilarious. Not just a 5 year old problem, I'm forever walking up and talking to someone in the store thinking it's H or my sister or whomever. And it never is...

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  7. Miss M has done that before but not face to face hee hee. I bet it made substitute Grandad's day. Don't you just love that small children cannot ever talk quietly? The little angels. :D

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