The Volleyball “Fatheads”

The other day, I received a quick text from Granddaughter #2. “Remember those fatheads from last year’s state volleyball tournament?” My first thought was, “Is she calling me a fathead? Have I bragged about something recently or shared too much enthusiasm about one of my projects?”

I went old school and gave her a call. I even dialed her phone number. OMG, heaven forbid you answer a call from Grandma! Texting wasn’t going to do it for me.

After a bit of clarification, I soon realized she wasn’t calling me a fathead, but instead was questioning how I created the large picture of her on a foam board, which we held up at during the 2016 State Volleyball Tournament. For those of us born before HBO, central air, and the President Eisenhower administration, that’s an enlarged cut-out picture on a poster board.

Another Grandma Project!

She and the other three seniors on their high school team wanted to generate student enthusiasm. They thought by having weird pictures of them made into fatheads and letting friends hold them up would do the trick. I thought the student section was great, but these girls obviously had something else in mind.

I gave her a detailed description of how to create the “fatheads” and said I would email them to her. Maybe it was the word “email” that caused her to pause. Maybe it was the amount of time she thought it would take to create the heads or just the amount of money it would cost. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Perhaps she was praying. I wasn’t sure. I then decided it was all of the above.

I broke the silence and asked when she needed the fatheads. She responded, “Tomorrow.” Hmm.

All the girls would have volleyball practice after school. All the girls are taking AP classes and would need to study. When would they find time to make the heads? She said maybe they would wait for the next week’s game to introduce their fatheads. I asked my granddaughter if I could help. She was thrilled!

I wanted her to know that their fatheads would not be perfect, and they would be done quickly and cheaply. She didn’t care and even volunteered to help out after school before their volleyball practice. Within five minutes, she had sent me the four chosen pictures. OMG, modern technology at work. I figured out my plan for shopping and creating the heads the next day.

Fathead Success!

In the morning, I enlarged the pictures at the FedEx store, bought foam boards, new paste, and a brand new X-acto knife at Walmart. By 1:45 p.m., my granddaughter came to our house. We were frantically finishing the project like a DIY TV show on steroids. By 2:30 p.m., she was out the door, carrying four picture fatheads and a big smile on her own fathead.

I have seen fatheads with better construction, color, etc., but I haven’t seen fatheads that have been made with more love shared between a granddaughter and her grandma.

Mothers of the senior girls loved the fatheads and thanked me profusely for my help…probably because they didn’t have to make them. The student section loved the fatheads. The pictures really were funny and their friends had fun waving them during the game.

As I reflect back, I wondered if my granddaughter had planned all along on having me make the heads? Was I sucked into this project? I immediately realized I didn’t care if it was a plan or not. I was involved in a fun activity with my granddaughter, and we shared a special experience.

I haven’t seen the fatheads at the last two volleyball games. I wonder if they got lost, a friend took them home and has created a shrine of fatheads, or if the novelty just wore off. I’m okay no matter what. It’s such moments in time that chart the life of a grandmother. I wish others experience such moments.