Recipes for my grandchildren

 Let's get something cleared up right away - I am not a cook.  Other than the Barbecue and I could always cook them up some hamburgers or fish or veggies there, but that would be the end of this post.  As much as you might wish that, I am going to instead forge ahead on a quite different path.

I have four grandkids that I will list later, but it is important to lay the groundwork for the tale I have to tell.  I had two grandfathers, the most relevant people for my background as a grandfather.  One of them was a bar room brawler with alcohol problems in his early grandfatherly years, but all of that was hidden from the view of me as a child.  He was after all a good provider and was warm enough with us kids, so there was never a problem there.

My other grandfather was, as we were told when we were young since there was just too much to hide, a bit eccentric.  In reality, as my mother so aptly phrased it, he was nutty as a fruitcake.  That is unkind, for in that early age, there were not the medicines available today and not a grandmother who insisted he take nothing stronger than an aspirin.  But, it is hard to hide that something is a bit different to a child when you go to his house and hear a whamming sound happening over and over in the back yard only to discover that he has put two poles in the ground, has inner tubes stretched between them, and is launching softballs against the back of the garage like using a slingshot.

The point really is that neither grandfather was any harm, any foul growing up.  I bare no resentments or scars from either.  But, I was also not left with a good gauge of what involvement could be like with my grandchildren.  My father moved that needle with his grandchildren as I expected a lifelong elementary principal to do, but I was already grown at that point.

So, I'm kind of making some of my recipe to serve my grandchildren on my own.  That is the most appropriate in any case, because it makes it less limited and more exciting.  So, first I have to gather my recipe ingredients:

1. Love.  Need a big supply, because it goes into everything you cook.
2. Involvement.  Got to be there every good chance you get.
3. Excitement, Joy and Awe.  Kids really eat this up, because it is usually wrapped up in Play!
4. Mystery.  It is kind of like a spice.  Once they figure you out completely, you might as well serve dry toast.
5. Adventure.  This is the spice.  Ain't no good without the spice!
6. Education.  There is still something the old man has to teach and in the process, they think of other old people with a bit more affection.
7. Understanding.  Sometimes their life is hard.  They need grandparents in their corner.

Then I toss in the ingredients as the situation calls for.  After all, the one thing a granddad can't do is undercut mom and dad.  But, that isn't hard.  After all, they are the ones doing the real work.  I'm a parent emeritus and I don't have to do the heavy work, nor should I with the grandkids.  I still am involved with that with Mom and Dad.

So, let's look at the list of grandkids I'll be serving all the rest of my days:

Crystina, age 18.  Lovely young woman doing well, intelligent and with a good work ethic.  And ... now college ...

Danica, age 6.  This is the cut to the bone inheritor of my mom's spirit.  Smart.  Totally honest.

Wally, age 4.  His needs vary from that of the other grandkids, but they are no less important.  He needs the right kinds of bones, dog food and daily walks coupled with praise.  But, then all the grandkids need praise every so often!

Jared, age 4.  This is the little adventurer, sturdy, all guy, and surprisingly sensitive.  He's got the sneaky sensitivity of his daddy!

These kids are well fed.  They will be just fine!

Please check out my other blog mates' takes on the same topic brought to us by Sanjanna at their blogs: 

Maria

Padmum
Raju
Ramana
Sanjana
Shackman

Srinivas