Al Roker’s Favorite Part About Being a Grandpa? ‘The Joy’
By Movieguide® Contributor
While many know and love Al Roker, those he loves the most call him “Pop-Pop.”
In a new interview with TODAY.com, Roker opened up about all of his favorite things about being a grandpa.
“Especially when you’re a first-time parent, you are so immersed in making sure your kid’s OK. It is all-consuming,” Roker said. “And while from time to time you can appreciate the joy and the faith, you’re just so concerned and worried about this little person that you’re responsible for.
“By the time you become a grandparent, you already know what it takes to raise a child,” he added. “And since it’s not your primary responsibility, you can really just bask in the joy of everything they do because you don’t have to worry about all the other stuff.”
Roker is grandpa to Sky, who his daughter Courtney Roker Laga shares with husband Wesley Laga.
One of the TODAY anchor’s favorite memories of his granddaughter is getting to see her crawl for the first time.
“This past weekend she started crawling at our house and it’s like, ‘Oh, this is fantastic!'” he said. “I don’t have to think about the fact that, now I’ve gotta really watch this kid. I mean, I do, but it’s not my 24-hour job.”
“I’m gonna have to start baby proofing,” he continued before adding, “just reliving the joy of discovery of your child, only it’s once removed. So that now it really is just pure joy.”
Roker recently shared a photo of his son and Sky on his Instagram page.
“Best part of the weekend,” he wrote.
Roker is also learning how to navigate watching his daughter become a parent.
“Look, our kids have to find their path,” he disclosed. “Everybody’s parental style is different. So, you kind of let them find their way. You can gently suggest things and your kids can take that and use it or not. And once you’ve given that advice, you have to let it go, because they have to find their way.”
“I’m very proud of my daughter and my son-in-law,” he continued. “They’re terrific parents and they’ve raised this, so far, incredibly happy baby who’s just very content, and very adventurous when it comes to food and just has a very, very lovely, happy disposition. So it’s like, ‘Well, whatever you’re doing, you’re doing a great job. I know it feels like it’s this all-consuming gig because in fact it is. But you’re doing a great job.'”
Sky just turned 1 on July 3, and her grandpa shared a special tribute on Instagram.
“At 11:41am a year ago today, I got to fall@in [sic] love all over again in a very special way. Thabks [sic] @ouichefroker and @thatteacherwhodjs for the gift of this special girl, Sky,” he wrote.
Movieguide® previously reported on Roker’s relationship with his granddaughter:
Al Roker is loving life as a grandpa!
“Yesterday was just about as good as it gets,” he captioned a series of photos of himself and granddaughter Sky, 7 months…
“It is magical, it really is,” Roker said shortly after her birth. “Everybody tells you that it’s going to be this thing and you don’t know — it’s like when they tell you about having your first child. And then to hold this little girl, knowing that 30 — almost 35 years ago — I held her mom and here she is, 5 pounds, 15 ounces, 19 inches long and she’s just perfect.”
The family recently celebrated Sky’s 7-month birthday, with Roker posting, “Guess who’s 7 months old? That went by fast,” under some photos of his granddaughter.
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