When each of our three grandkids came along, I loved to hold them. I was well known as the baby hog. Observing them, I realized my life would never be the same. I was determined to be the very best grampa in the world.
Through the last many years, I was privileged to see my grandkids a lot. In the first months, they often slept in my arms as I sat at my desk and pretended to work. As toddlers, they spent many, many hours playing in my studio, most often with me on the floor beside them. Toys were usually scattered around, and stuffed animals littered my studio. Years later, their drawings are still taped in various places around my desk. A massive rock-and-stick collection lines the top of our fence to this day. Their bikes are parked on our porch or, more likely, out in the yard, where the kids abandoned them for something more fun. It's immediately obvious to anyone who visits our property that kids spend lots of time here.
The grandkids know their way around my toolbox and often 'work' in the shop. Their favourite job is painting, although they will happily try anything that needs doing. We have invested countless hours into our relationships, and we have enjoyed many, many grand adventures together. Like my kids did when they were young (and beyond), they work with me as often as possible. I've learned that projects only take a little longer if a child helps.
The payoff is immeasurable. The most horrible day is made right in an instant with a child’s hug. Their endless chatter and innumerable questions cheer me immensely. Through their eyes, I enjoy the limitless wonder of a world seen for the very first time. I discover daily the joys of making clouds of dust, making loud noises, watching various colours of paint run together, seeing cloud dragons in the sky, learning to ‘fly’ or a thousand other wondrous adventures.
The kids have also taught me things about myself that I long misunderstood and brought a clear understanding of who I am now and who I was growing up. Through them, I have discovered what made me different. In a good way.
Our grandkids are full of curiosity. And while almost every child has this characteristic, our bunch is overflowing with this trait to the maximum possible. Rather than tamping it down, this is encouraged. They see and hear EVERYTHING. They have to try everything, touch everything, and figure out how everything works. For them, every day is much too short, for there are far too many interesting things to learn and experience. In watching our grandkids, my own life became crystal clear.
I was labelled the ‘bad’ kid in our family - the one who always was at the center of trouble. I remember being reprimanded often, but I never considered myself a bad person - just misunderstood. As I watched our young kids operate, I now clearly understand how it was back then. I was simply being me, and I had no ill intent. Like our youngsters, the instruction to not get dirty, to not go somewhere, or to not touch was simply impossible. Truly impossible. If I saw something that piqued my interest, I was driven to find out about it - in spite of the inevitable and known consequences.
Observing our three grandkids operate daily made me realize this was me growing up. I had to know everything, how it worked, what it felt like. And I had to experience everything firsthand - even if my parents or other adults in charge expressly forbade it, especially if the only relevant concern was expediency.
I do my best to take a different tack, instead encouraging the kids to try new things under a watchful eye to make sure they are safe. We do our best to make every job fun. When something goes awry, as often happens, we try to figure out why - or how to do things better next time. With the kids ‘helping,’ mundane tasks are transformed from necessary chores to wonderful adventures. There is ALWAYS a fun way to do things. I learned every day that I am with them that when playing is mixed in with work, great discoveries can happen, and life is more enjoyable for everyone!
That same inquisitive kid is still alive and well inside me. I’m still the guy who endlessly questions everything to find a creative and unique answer. I still take great joy in breaking the ‘rules’ that don’t make sense to me. A while back, I was in a crowded elevator in a very tall building in a big city, and a small child near the control panel politely asked me, ‘What floor?’ so he could gleefully push the button, as he had for all of the other adults in the elevator. My head immediately jumped to what I would have desperately wanted to do as a five-year-old child, and I couldn’t resist. In my loudest stage whisper, I told the kid to PUSH THEM ALL! And he did, with both hands, in an instant. It took a long time to get to the upper floors of the building with a peek into the hallway of every floor on the way up, but the joy on that kid’s face was worth it by far. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey as much as he did!
