In every issue this year we’ve dedicated special space in celebration of our 20th anniversary. This month is no exception, except we are also celebrating National Grandparents Day which is Sunday, September 7. In honor of this beloved familial group, we’ve invited some of our community’s favorite iconic personalities who just so happen to be grandparents themselves.

Enter stage left, creative forces extraordinaire…THV 11’s Craig O’Neill (a.k.a. Randy Hankins) and artist/author Jane Hankins. Married 40+ years, the talented dynamic duo has a way of taking life to a level of Neverland heights. Just imagine being their grandchildren. In the words of another creative icon Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the places you will go.”

So get your giggle box ready and have a hankie handy as we catch up with the couple since Craig and granddaughter Bella graced Little Rock Family’s cover in 2007. They now have two grandchildren. Bella Rose Kerby, 10, has a little sister, Amelia May Kerby, 6.

Craig and Jane at their home in the Heights neighborhood; photo courtesy of Little Rock Soiree.

Little Rock Family: What do the girls call you and Jane?

Craig: They call me DaDoo. I wanted it to be DooDah as in “Camptown ladies sing this song. . .doodah—doodah”. I stole that idea from our good friend Robyn Dickey. I loved it, DooDah. But, once the children were born and became verbal, we had a vowel movement and it became “DaDoo.” Jane has the wonderfully easy “Na-nee.” Phoenetically, that’s “Nay-knee.”

LRF: How does grandparenting differ from parenting for you?

Craig: Grandparenting is judgment-free. As parents there is a constant nagging question that goes with every decision: “Is this the right choice? Am I doing the right thing?” But, with grandparenting, that inner critic is silenced. As a grandparent, life with your grandchild is a celebration. You lose your inhibition and revel in their constant sense of wonder and discovery. On an intuitive level, you also know, these grandchildren in some small way represent your immortality. This adds even more value to their little lives, and every moment becomes precious.

LRF: What type of grandparents would you say you are?

Craig: If there was one word that sums up our grandparenting style it would be “creative.” (Imagine that!) I am constantly presenting imaginary situations into our lives together. Example: When I would drive Bella to preschool, I would roll down the window of the front seat so that Tinkerbell could come into the car. She wanted to ride with us, and for two miles we chatted with Tinkerbell, who desposited fairy dust on us before she left, so that next time we could just fly to preschool. Jane’s exercises are a little more controlled because they take more set-up time, but just as endearing. The girls hardly ever come over to our house without painting, making something from clay, and even costuming.

LRF: How has grandparenting changed for you since 2007?

Craig: It has been amazing watching the girls change. I have read that the emotional part of the brain is completely developed by age 12, which means Bella is getting close to that age. In talking with her, listening to her inflections and subject matter, which is now all about relationships, I would suggest she is already there. Amelia on the other hand is still in that wonderful state of uninhibited imagination, where fantasy is still the rule, not the exception. I find that the older they get, I tend to linger on the childish moments, realizing they are disappearing very quickly. In talking with grandparents of teens, I get the same lament: “We don’t see them as often, but we love them just as much.”

LRF: What are your favorite aspects of being a grandparent?

Jane: My/our favorite part of being grandparents, is discovery. This means travel, new places, new things. I call it turning over rocks, which is one of our grandkids’ favorite things to do. Simply turning over rocks and seeing what’s underneath there in the garden. All grandparents have a good idea of what’s under the rock, but they don’t know how their grandkids will react, making the entire exercise one of discovery at all levels.

LRF: Do you have any advice for other grandparents?

Craig: There is no advice for grandparents. That’s like telling angels to be nice. Because just being a grandparent is enough. It is all you need. There are so many times in my life I wish I could become invisible and just watch. Just being with them is all it takes. It is, in some measure, perfection. It teaches us all that your capacity for love is limitless. I have seen very successful businessmen produce tears as they spoke of their grandchildren. Grown, learned women, accomplished and successful by every measure, become instantly childlike, getting down on the floor to become a mule. It’s why I can’t wait to see what happens to the Clintons. Watching a grandchild wipe off that political veneer.

LRF: What do you hope your grandchildren learn from you?

Craig: Living 63 years and loving conversing with people, there is one thing I noticed and realized a long time ago before my children became adults. When people remember their grandparents, their voices change. The expression softens. There is a dreaminess to the narrative that wasn’t there before. I realize now, that I have no expectations when it comes to legacy. I know it will be one they will cherish whatever it is. Jane feels that way too. My only regret is that I won’t be there to hear it. I’m sure it would be fascinating, because everything they say and do, is.