There sure is a lot of fun that comes along with grandparenting.
I’m not talking about the classic grandparenting duties. You know what I mean ... fixing proper meals, making sure they’re bathed, reading bedtime stories, cuddling and snuggling, etc.
I’m talking about ornery stuff like sneaking a peanut butter sandwich to them when they won’t eat their roast and potatoes, looking in the barn for coyotes or hunting for Bigfoot in the backyard.
When I was 9 years old, I went to the theater with a friend, along with roughly 200 other brave souls, to see “The Legend of Boggy Creek.” It was the scariest thing I’d seen since Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” I’m not what you’d call a hardcore horror fan. But I still get a guilty pleasure watching the programming on TV with people searching for Bigfoot.
I’m sure our collective IQ drops several points every time we tune it in, but the one we seem to never miss is “Mountain Monsters.” These self-proclaimed hillbillies, in their bibbed overalls with guns at the ready, investigate sightings of mysterious creatures witnessed by some questionable characters themselves.
It aired on the weekends — prime Nana Dana and Papa King time with our 4-year-old grandson and he loves it.
So anyway ...
Last weekend, since the weather was so nice, my grand and his papa went on their own Bigfoot expedition in our backyard.
It started with our grand assigning names to himself and the hubby. “I’m Willy and papa, you’re Crazy Wild Bill,” he said. “We’re going to hunt for the Duskman (Bigfoot).”
So off the two of them went, sticks in hand. They were searching for Bigfoot nests, listening for howls, building traps, looking for footprints and finding signs around the goldfish pond. They were all over the backyard, hiding behind trees, up in the treehouse and going down the slide.
It didn’t matter to either of them we had a house full of company, with everyone sitting on the deck watching their endeavor and giggling while listening to their conversations. That little adventurer and his papa were on a quest to capture a Bigfoot.
I can’t tell you for sure if they were successful in their pursuit of the elusive bipedal creature. By the evening, Papa was wearing down, the sun was beginning to set, and I’ll give you one guess as to when the Duskman likes to appear.
Maybe my grand will be up for nighttime exploration when he turns 5.
Contact Dana King at dking@shawmedia.com