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Grandpa Pitt
and Grandma Prosapio
A Look Into the Future of Grandparenting By Winter D. Prosapio
I have to admit there are some significant differences between the Prosapios' and the Pitt-Jolies' health prospects. For one, Brad and Angelina will have an army of plastic surgeons, personal trainers and nutritionists focused on keeping them in shape for the rigors of grandparenting. My husband and I will be lucky if we can coerce our Medicare plan to cough up money for his-and-her scooters from the scooter store.
Brad and Angelina also will have the means to take their grandchildren to far-flung locales where armies of entertainers and exotic animals will be on hand. We'll probably have to make do with the occasional batch of puppies in the backyard.
Stunt grandparents would be individuals similar in appearance to us but a good 15 years younger. They would step in when activities involved something strenuous, like getting up off the floor after playing jacks for 20 minutes, opening a childproof cap of baby aspirin or turning the crank on the ice cream maker.
On every visit with our darling grandchildren, stunt grandparents would linger just out of camera range. They'd be prepared to dive into action when the toy cars rolled under the couch. They'd leap up when it was time to jump on the trampoline. And when everyone was saddling up for a pony ride around the living room, they'd hit the floor galloping.
Of course, just like with Brad and Angelina, there'd be no question as to who will be getting top billing. As the real grandparents we'd still get all the close-ups, the dialog and, most important, the love scenes.
Some things just shouldn't change no matter how old we get.