A couple of weeks ago I was watching an episode of Big Bang Theory. Despite the all-consuming theme of nerdism, it happens to be one of my favorite shows.

However, this particular episode struck a cord with me. I get it: it’s comedy; we’re not supposed to take it personally…or seriously, for that matter—we should just laugh our asses off and call it a day. Yeah, I did that…got a good chuckle from the episode, too. However, I found myself mindfully reflecting on a conversation that took place between three of the main characters: experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter (who has been lusting after neighbor Penny since she moved in across the hall), Howard Wolowitz (the woefully fashion-fractured aerospace engineer who is preoccupied with sex and the idea that, laughably, he’s a babe magnet) and Raj Koothrappali (Howard’s awkward sidekick, astrophysicist and best friend who is equally fascinated with the thought of sex).

The conversation went something like this (from Big Bang Theory, Season 3, Episode 8 [“The Adhesive Duck Deficiency”]):

Howard: Okay, the best I can tell, there are eight other campsites nearby. Mostly science nerds like us, but just over yon ridge are two not unattractive middle school teachers who reek of desperation.

Raj: Wow. Wonderful. How old are they?

Howard: Oh I don’t know, 50, 55.

Raj: Oh, menopause, nature’s birth control.

Leonard: Come on, you guys can’t be that hard up.

Howard: I am.

Raj: Yeah, me, too.

Howard: Look, they gave me homemade cookies.

Leonard: Of course, they did. That’s what grandmothers do.

Raj: So, what are we waiting for?

Howard: Relax, I said we’d stop by a little later after they have their nap.

Raj: Good idea. They’ll be refreshed.

Howard: Cookie?

Raj: Yeah, thank you. Mmmm.

Leonard: Mmmm, not bad.

Raj: Yeah, very tasty. Well, so tell me more about these teachers.

Howard: Not much to tell. They had a VW Microbus and were wearing tie-dyed Grateful Dead shirts.

Raj: Huh. Mmm. Good cookies.

It was arguably a clever and amusing episode. And by the way . . . those cookies? Yeah, they were laced with drugs.

But wait . . . is that ageism that I smell in the air? Well no, not really. Ageism is discrimination based on age; this is poking fun at “two not unattractive middle school teachers who reek of desperation.” Howard’s best guess is that these women are roughly 50 or 55 years old.

And therein lies the problem.

The two alleged grandmotherly women are the butt of the joke. Hmmmmm…

While I don’t have any children of my own, I am at an age (52) where it would be perfectly acceptable for me to be a grandmother. So here’s the thing about the grandmothers (and grandparents in general) of today: these new millennium grandparents are not your grandparents’ grandparents. Let’s hear a big hooray for grandparents! Chances are, if you’re reading this, you, too are a grandparent. If not, it’s okay…read on.

Think grandparents have to be 75-year old little men and women who smell like mothballs, are perpetually cantankerous and put their teeth in a glass jar by their beds at night? Wrong, wrong and wrong!

Here in the United States, the average age of a grandparent is 48-years old*. How cool is that? What’s even more amazing is that more than half are baby boomers. Chant it with me now: Boomers…boomers…boomers. 

Like those lovely cookies, here’s a few more tidbits for you to nibble on:

Getting Younger Every Day. First-time grandparent? Congratulations…good for you. Did you know that 43%* of grandparents actually became Nanas, PopPops, Omas, Opas, Memaws and Gramps?

Bowchickawowow. Yeah baby, grandparents are gettin’ it on in the sack – 38%* are mattress dancing…gettin’ busy…bumping uglies…making whoopee – in other words, they’re having coitus, a term dear to Sheldon Cooper’s heart.

Let’s Get Social. Facebook. Twitter. LinkedIn and more. Yup, grandparents are all over social media to the tune of 48%.

Show Me The Money! This might make folks stand up, take notice and look forward to being a grandparent: Grandparents control 75%* of the wealth in the U.S. Hey . . . can you spot me a C-note?

A Body in Motion . . . It’s not just the millennials who like to stay active. Forty-three percent* of grandparents aren’t letting grass grow under their feet. They’re exercising, playing sports and staying active.

I’m not a grandparent yet, and I hope not to be one for quite a while (Note: I’m shooting the side-eye stink-eye in the direction of my 15-year old stepson…). However, if I were a grandparent, I’d be damn proud of that fact.

And no, all grandparents—more specifically, grandmothers—are not desperate, stoner, cookie baking nymphomaniacs with a penchant for the Grateful Dead. But if even they were…so what? Who cares? I’m sure they’d bake a damn good batch of cookies.

*Source: Grandparents.com