Grandchildren are the Spice of Life
By
My recollections of my grandparents are very pleasant ones. I always wanted my grandchildren to have the same fond memories of me so I set out, early on, to mimic some of my grandfather's antics. My grandpa, on my mother's side, was the kind of person who loved spending time with his grandchildren. My grandma spent time with us, too, it's just that she had all the household chores to do and grandpa did fun stuff.
When we had our first grandchild, she was left overnight with us at the age of two months. While raising our children, I never remember waking up, when there was a problem during the night, unless my wife exerted considerable effort. The night our granddaughter stayed, for the first time, I woke up every time she made the slightest sound.
That's when I realized your grandkids are much different than your kids. You don't mean it to be that way, it's just the way it is.
I was a strict disciplinarian with our four kids and resented my mom spoiling them when they stayed with her during the summer. Now I find myself defending the actions of my grandkids that would have gotten my kids a trip to the woodshed. It really hurts to see them get a scolding, much less a spanking, even though I know discipline is important.
We had five granddaughters before the first grandson was born and they all had grandpa wrapped around their little fingers. I just melted over the cute things they would say and I'd spend hours watching Barney and Jungle Book until I could quote them word for word.
We live near the Ponderosa Ranch in Lake Tahoe and each year we'd buy seasons tickets for all the grandkids so they could do the mountain climbing, see the magician and other activities. At first they knew nothing about the Bonanza television series, but soon they knew Hop Sing and Pa and the boys better than I did.
Then we'd go to the lake for the rest of the day and they'd play in the water until they turned purple. In the evening it was time for games and root beer floats. We'd barbecue a Tri-Tip and then some marsh-mellows.
The grandkids are growing up now and I'm very glad I spent so much time with them. They still like to come and visit, but school and work schedules, along with boy and girlfriends compete with the time. Grandchildren are all about building memories, for them as well as for yourself, and I know that they'll always remember their summers at grandpa and grandma's house.
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