Lessons for Life: How to be a Grandparent

Today we took two of our thirteen Idaho grandkids to Twin Falls for a special day.

We went to Walgreens to pick up some medications I needed and told them to grab something if they liked it. They are a bit bashful about doing anything like that. When I was checking out, they showed up while I was waiting for the store manager to find the $100.00 cash I asked for when using my debit card. They had found rings with their names on them plus a box of candy bars of some kind.

After Walgreens we went to lunch at the Golden Coral. We spent ninety minutes there stuffing ourselves having a good time laughing together.

I needed some turpentine and linseed oil so that I could use some oil paints my son sent me for Christmas a year ago. Ive wanted to switch from acrylics back to oil for some paintings. Oils are superior when you want to blend for color and for other subtle effects.

We went to Michaels for the paint and linseed oil and the two girls picked up birdhouses that they could paint and hang in their yard. I asked them why they chose the same model and they said they were going to paint them differently.

I had a gift certificate my Michigan daughter-in-law gave me this Christmas. It was for Barnes and Noble. There I bought a world atlas, a book about Bible myths, and several books on the Civil War. The girls were hesitant to take anymore of my money but I convinced them that they should each find a book they liked, which they did.

Then we headed home.

Their parents passed us on the road and came back to their home. They piled the two happy girls in their huge van and took off for my Idaho daughter-in-laws home up north of her on a family emergency. Before they left, my daughter-in-law thanked us for spending some time with the two girls.

So, why did we favor the two girls over the other grandkids?

Well, we didnt.

We took the whole family to dinner before we left for Michigan for Christmas.

This was a special occasion that required that we split these two out of the herd. They had done something very special at Church. On the day that we set aside for members to go to the pulpit to say what they want about God, family, and church, they stood before about 200 people and spoke for the first time.

It took courage and conviction to do that. I told them they could have whatever they wanted as a reward. They never came up with anything so we took them out for the day.

Grandparents need to support their grandkids. I dont mean that you should spoil them with gifts; I mean you should spend time with them to help them gain self esteem, to know that they are loved, and just to know you.

Thats why grandfathers should take some of them with them when they go fishing. You wont catch any fish, but if you keep their hooks baited, they will. We run split shifts here in Idaho. I take the girls one time and the boys the next.

You dont have to take them every time you go fishing. Dont take them when YOU want to fish.

My wife teaches girls who are interested to knit and crochet. When they are doing this, the grandkids hear stories about my wifes childhood. They learn about their great-grandparents.

Last year we took our two oldest Idaho granddaughters to New York State for their cousins wedding. Having them with us made them very happy and it made our trip much more enjoyable.

Back in the good old days we had our grandparents living with us. Associations were much more meaningful. Now days, many grandparents live far from their far-flung grandkids. Its more difficult to have deep associations. You must work at it.

So think about it; do you want your grandkids to know that they have caring grandparents?

Sure you do!

What did we bring the kids we left at home? Candy, of course!