More Grandchildish Behavior

David Writes

I am drool resistant, attract dirt, love to wallow, don’t mind eating things off of the ground and sometimes need changing.

I fit right in with kids.

I am a sucker for the little buggers, most likely because a good part of me still is one. I can get down to and play at their level with no effort whatsoever. So… I guess I want grandkids more than Veronica does.

As she pointed in “Grandchildish Behavior,” she doesn’t want to push things and neither do I. I am a firm believer in letting our adult children live their own lives. But while I agree with her points in the essay, I can’t help thinking about how fun it would be to have some new little rug rats running ’round.

I think of the possibilities. Sofa cushion forts to be constructed, trash can lid dog sled races to be run, old lawnmower / tricycle / roller-skate / beanbag chair vehicles to be made and crazy mud-filled attempts at tunneling under the neighbor’s house to be dug.

All accomplished with nothing more than a sack lunch and a big idea.

A huge advantage to grandchildren, the icing on the face (oops, cake)… they have to go home at some point and Veronica and I get to go on with our GypsyNesting lives. All the fun without all that pesky responsibility.

Even better, since we’ve sold the nest, when the sippy cup does a slo-mo two and a half gainer with a lid releasing twist across the room, I would just be a spectator. I’d give it an 8.5 with wild applause.

That peanut butter and jelly face print on the hall closet door? Nice likeness.

The terrarium complete with amphibian wildlife in the bathtub? Cool.

That chemistry / cooking experiment involving chocolate pudding, Cheerios, a two liter bottle of diet Pepsi, a bag of frozen peas and the blender? Nourishing and builds character.

As long as I don’t actually join in on the mess making, something I’ve been known to do, it’s not my problem. I might offer to help clean up… but I don’t have to.

There is also an educational factor for our kids. No child ever really knows what their parents went through until they have children of their own.

No, I’m not wishing the old “I hope you have a kid just like you someday” revenge on them… actually, I hope they are that lucky. I’m just saying that it is, without a doubt, the world’s biggest learning experience.

So I definitely look forward to the day when I can roll all over the living room floor with my kids’ kids… at their house.

I will boldly face the possibility of projectile vomit all over my shirt (I certainly was a target for it in my daddy days), gum-based food products in my shoes, melted mystery candy-like substances in my pockets and the inevitable stains everywhere else. It’s nothing a little Tide and a Kenmore can’t handle.

I only hope my chiropractor can handle my achin’ back when the time comes.

David, GypsyNester.com

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24 thoughts on “More Grandchildish Behavior”

  1. Best subtiminal ‘give me grand cildren now’ messages I’e read in a long time. Keeping my fingers crosed for you both that Piglet, Decibel and the Prince actually read your blogs.

  2. In today’s world, just as there are multiple types of families and blended families, and kids moving far from the nest (or vice versa), I think it’s going to be hard to predict how the grand parenting thing will go down, but I admit that we occasionally make furniture decisions based on “this will be good if we have grandchildren”.

  3. When my children were growing up, I had wall-to-wall carpet, even in the dining room. Just before I had grandchildren, I moved to the country, tile floors, creek in the backyard, chickens in the front – it’s so much fun.

  4. We were those parents who didn’t have to wait for grandchildren. They came into the picture too early. That being said, we made the best of it, and so has my daughter, age 29 with 6 kids and on her 2nd marriage (she had her 1st at 18) and my son, who will be 20 in January, has a 3 month old little girl. He and his fiance are trying to fugure out this parenting thing while both still living at home and going to school.
    It is fun to get to love on them, but because we have been called on for help so much, (3 oldest GK lived with us for 2.5 years) we have a little bit different perspective.
    Bernice

  5. Be yourself! The best compliment my granddaughter ever gave me was when she met a new friend and said, “Let’s go play with my grandma…she’s always fun.”

  6. Join in the fun – just be prepared for people looking at you like you are weird when you do things like dance a 2-yr-old through the aisles of the office supply store, or march up and down the street singing Sesame Street songs, or roll around in the sand at the park while moms and dads look on. That’s what this grandma says anyway 🙂

  7. I just loved the bouquet of flowers my Grandbabies would pick for me out of my prized flower bed!
    I didn’t even get angry, The thought behind the offering, was enough to make me melt.
    we just had a discussion on how much prettier the flowers would stay left in the garden after that.

  8. I fully understand. I have been an empty nester for so long that it feels funny to now have a grandson, who has presented me with a great granddaughter, and a grown daughter asking for tips on being an “empty nester.” Here we go all over again!

  9. Grandkids are awesome – I even side with the 14 year old sometimes – my 21 year old son asks me why its OK for his 14 year old niece not to have to do chores around the house & I was all over him to do his & I said because I’m not her mother I’m her Grandmother & I’m supposed to spoil her!

  10. And I thought you were content to wait! Enjoy the quiet for a while!

    Maybe I’m still too close in memory to having 13 two year old boys running around my house!

    Take Care,
    Mary Anne

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