World’s Best Grandpa?
by RoboDad

It has been almost 23 years since I lost my ability to walk after a spinal cord injury. In the last decade, some things have changed. My two daughters have grown up, married, and blessed me with three grandsons. I know that they didn't have those grandsons for me, but the impact is the same.

My daughters re-named me RoboDad. After my injury, I reverted to utilizing wheels to get around, and many other useful adaptations to accomplish the necessary activities of daily living. I didn’t realize at the time that those adaptations would one day allow me to claim the title of “the best grandpa” in the eyes of my three grandsons.

There is a lot of competition for that title, even in our small family. Because of our society's propensity to divorce, my grandsons now have three grandfathers and three grandmothers. However, none of the others can offer the attributes I bring to a grandfather/grandson relationship.

Young boys are fascinated by wheels, and my life revolves around wheels. Wheelchairs lower me to a kid-friendly height, so I do not need to stoop for an eye to eye conversation. We can hold hands while walking together because it only takes me one hand to steer, and there is always some spare wheelchair around for them to play with--even without me present.

Touring museums, visiting the zoo or walking through the mall can be tiring, especially for a child with short legs. Riding with me in my wheelchair van makes that walk from the accessible parking spaces to the door of the theater, mall or stadium much shorter as well. As the first body to be loaded on an airplane, my young boarding party benefits from that early access as well. However, they don’t appreciated being the last ones off the plane any more than I do.

As RoboDad, I can provide a benefit that those other grandparents can't: lap rides. Besides taking a load off tired little feet, it provides the added benefit of allowing previously unreachable objects to become reachable.

The power wheelchair that allows me to roll alongside sprinting grandsons is not the only treat that RoboDad can provide. The many switches and remote controls that operate everything from wheelchair accessories to the lift on my van are objects that fascinate my grandsons. They have learned to pick up objects with my reachers, and are begging me for rides on the new lift that hangs from my bedroom ceiling.

Video games are very popular today, but it has been just as much fun to have three grandsons standing beside me as I demonstrate the capabilities of NaturallySpeaking™ for them. I compose stories that use their names, and they even tell me what to write. Because of this exposure, I am a bit worried that the next generation will lose the ability to type, as everything they do will be voice-activated.

Being the most popular grandfather comes with some responsibilities as well. I’m used to answering questions from curious kids as I roll through the community. Was it Art Linkletter who said “Kids ask the darnedest things” or something similar? I always answer their questions, despite their mothers trying to drag them away. They deserve those answers.

Because I believe in keeping younger generations informed about what might lie ahead, I recently (and gladly) accepted the invitation to attend my grandson’s school as his “show and tell” for the week. The other preschoolers were fascinated by my demonstration of tilt and recline, as well as my ability to spin in place with the flick of a wrist. We all learned that a couple of other students also had grandparents who used wheelchairs—but not as cool as mine, of course. After a lively question and answer period, the entire class followed me to the parking lot for a demonstration of the wheelchair lift and me locking into place to drive away. My grandson insisted on holding my hand on the way to the van, which made the experience even better for me. I have promised to do the same for my other grandsons when school starts again.

Any grandparent can provide a kitchen drawer full of snacks, a swing set in the backyard, and a chest full of favorite toys in the family room. Only RoboDad can go beyond that level by providing access to the unique accessories and activities offered by life in a wheelchair. I rest my case.

© 2010 Michael Collins