I spent some time today digitizing a tape that my stepdad, Wacek, made of himself reading Polish children’s stories for my nephews. I’m going to burn it onto a CD for my sister so it’s easier to play for the boys since cassettes have gone the way of the Betamax.

I think it’s cool that my stepdad did this for the boys even though they’re not his biological grandsons. I think it’s equally as cool that my nephew Tyler often asks for the tape of Dziadzu. (“Dziadek” is the word for grandfather in Polish; “Dziadzu” is the diminutive in the vocative.) Just the other day, I was over at my sister’s and Tyler wanted to play in my car, pretending that he was driving. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, playing with the wipers, the turning signal, and trying to turn the wheel. I asked him where he was going, and he said “Dziadzu home”.

My family is so cool.