Tales of Parents Becoming Grandparents

Bill Cosby has a classic comedy routine, available on YouTube, in which he dissects the difference between parents and grandparents. He contrasts his father's open-handed generosity with his grandchildren with what he recalls as his tight-fistedness during Bill's childhood. Then he says of his children's grandmother, "That's not the woman I grew up with!" It's funny stuff.

Tomorrow night my readers in the U.K. will have the opportunity to view another tale of a parent turned grandparent, with a slightly different angle. The first episode of "The Grandparent Diaries" follows a liberal 60s father-turned-grandfather as he takes his seven grandchildren to the seaside. The series, which airs on BBC Four, consists of two more programs--or programmes, as the British spell it--concerning what the BBC describes as "very different" sets of grandparents and their grandchildren. It sounds interesting, but I haven't been able to find a way to view the series in the U.S. I'm hoping that an American station picks it up for broadcast. We have lots of shows that focus on the young and good-looking. Isn't it about time that we codgers received a little air time?

More about Bill Cosby on About.com:

• The World's Most Beloved Father
• Bill Cosby Trivia Quiz
• Quotations From Bill Cosby