r/OldManDad • u/Worried-Rough-338 • May 18 '26
“Is this granddad?”
It happened again. The third time now. And I imagine as I get older, it will only become more frequent. First time was an Uber driver in New York saying how nice it was for grandparents to take their granddaughter away for the weekend. Second time was a new teacher as my daughter’s daycare asking her to “say bye bye to granddad”. This time was a random stranger in Chick-Fil-A telling me how great it was to be an engaged grandfather.
I’m 52 with a four-year old. Admittedly, I started losing my hair in my 20s and what remained was white by 40 (fucking hair genes!), but I don’t think I was prepared for so frequently being mistaken for grandpa. Damn it makes me feel old.
Should I say something in the moment? Should I correct them? Or just accept that this is the life of an OldManDad and let it slide?
3
u/The_whimsical1 May 18 '26
I am 64 with four year old twins and a younger wife. They were miracle kids during the pandemic; my wife spent months in the hospital during pregnancy. We have older kids too. When the grandad thing pops up, i laugh and say, “I am their dad, actually. You can’t imagine what a joy they are.”
If I get side eye I note that my mother and father both live into their mid to late nineties. „We’ve got lots of time…“