If You Want Something Done Right, Ask Your Grandchildren

Grandchildren are a Different Sort of Person

As children we are all prone to not quite exactly obey our parents when asked to do any specific chore. We can always find a reason to drag our feet, do the laziest job possible, and hope that mom and dad don’t ask us to help again. But grandchildren are a different sort of person.

When it comes to helping around the Ranchette, nothing beats an eager little tyke just dying to spend some private time with Papa or Nana. They’ll dig holes, move cows, wash, dry, AND put away dishes, unload the dishwasher, fold towels, pick up toys, move electric fence, and shovel manure – if it means a trip to the ice cream parlor.

It’s All True About Grandparenting

The joys of grandparenthood are many. I tell my not-yet-grandparent friends that everything folks say about being a grandma or grandpa is true.

For example, when the g-babes cry, we can send them home to mom and dad.

If they get mad, we can buy them an ice cream cone, and their mood suddenly changes from grumbly to cheery.

Best of all, when they want a toy they never have to ask twice, because we grandparents are happy to indulge their selfish little selves, simply because of the laughter and hugs we receive in payment for spoiling them.

Grandchildren Do Things Right

Our three oldest grand-babes are visiting now. The oldest, at ten years, is as helpful as two of me, so I leave Papa and Punkydoodle to their chores.

In just a few hours, they have repositioned the entire electric fence around the pasture one stake at a time, moved cows from the grazed-off back pasture to the front section, and fed and brushed the old-man horse in the back pasture. Punky was pretty proud of herself when she learned how to drive the 4-wheeler as she followed Papa down the fenceline.

Now she’s thinking about buying her first car.

After lunch, as Papa and Grandboy were headed out for the afternoon ranch work, the five-going-on-six-year-old confided secretly to his mate, “Papa, do you know why I didn’t come out this morning with you and Punkydoodle? It’s because I wanted you all to myself.”

If that doesn’t melt the heart of a granddad, nothing will. Once Papa helped him master the stop-and-go on the 4-wheeler, they set up and filled a new water tank for the cows. They haltered and led the show heifer to a new pen, sorted off 5 head and loaded them in the trailer to take to another pasture, unloaded the cattle at their new digs, then dove in to the hardest chore of the day: a trip to the frozen yogurt shop for treats.

Grandboy wore much of his home, along with the biggest grin I’ve seen in some time.

BabyGirl – the youngest of the bunch — still hasn’t decided which activity she most prefers, so she toddles along to see the horse, rides alongside Papa on the 4-wheeler, then loses interest and returns to the house to tell Nana all about the grasshopper she found in the driveway.

As we walk out to check the garden, she asks to sample every vegetable. The beans aren’t her favorite, but the sugar peas are pretty much irresistible. “Nana, I love your garden. It tastes good!”

That’s payment enough.

Grandchildren Are Good Company

Papa and I are relaxing on the patio now, with a well-deserved icy beverage after the day’s work is done and the g-babes are napping, coloring, Lego-ing. Papa sighs and smiles. “Those grandkids are amazing. They really love being here and helping. I didn’t have to show them twice how to do anything, and they did a great job! On top of that, they’re darn-good company.”

I couldn’t agree more.

He takes a long draught of his cool drink. “This empty-nesting is pretty great, isn’t it?”

Yes, darlin’ – yes, it is.