I was at my mother-in-law’s house and took note of the two Hummel figurines on her living room side table shown above. She is an avid collector of Hummel, Royal Doulton, Lladro, and Belleek figurines. Though not exactly my style, I always like to stay open-minded to what others perceive as valuable and artistic.

It got me to thinking of not only how my kids would remember their grandparents, but how I would want to be remembered by their kids when that time comes (I’ve got quite a few years yet before that). Will my “style” look as outdated and quaint to them as the frock coat, shawl and apron on the Hummel figurines look to my eyes?

Moreover, do my kids see their grandparents as “cool” in their own right? Or are they just nice “old” people who spoil them whenever they can? Are these questions even pertinent considering they are probably perennial?

A good friend of mine’s father recently passed away. He was a lifelong hot rod enthusiast and his son drove one of his custom cars to the funeral as a memorial. Undoubtedly that grandfather was looked upon as “cool” by the assemblage. But amidst the breadth of stories related during his eulogy, his passion for performance cars was clearly only a small facet of his fascinating life.

During the service I was thinking to myself, “What a shame that I didn’t get to know him better while he was still alive.” Will technologies such as Facebook and Google+ help us provide touchpoints into our lives for others to better know, enjoy and understand us? I’m afraid that social media won’t much help today’s great-grandparents (that’s why we created Presto Mail and Presto Daily Smile).

For tomorrow, who knows what will be the next interpersonal “fad” like Facebook is today. Possibly actually getting to know a tight circle of friends in person. Naw!       

Cheers,

Peter Radsliff
CEO, Presto Services Inc.

P.S. Post any remembrances of your grandparents below. I’m sure many people would love to read about them.