Babysitting Grandpa

I've never understood what it is that people have to do that is better than caring for their kids and grandkids. I've always found it to be fun.

But, I've certainly seen plenty of women who don't care for babysitting and consider same a deadening bore. My mother was one of them. She hated cooking. You could taste that in her cooking, too.

I've always loved being home with my kids and grandkids. I'm babysitting my twin 5-1/2 month old grandkids even as I write this post. They are settling in for their morning naps after the usual routine of diaper changes, bottles and exercise stints in the jumper.

My dad loved playing with kids. He certainly preferred it to working. He'd hurry home from his job at the factory, and immediately head out into the back yard to play baseball, basketball or football (depending on the season) with his kids.

I brought along Halloween presents for the kids this morning, and they loved them. My 2-1/2 year old granddaughter has been waving her new purple magic wand at everybody and saying "Abracadabra, you're a frog!" The baby twins are shaking and chewing on their new toys. It's a lot of excitement for a few bucks.

If you're not good at raising kids, I guess you probably don't enjoy raising kids. If you're an unhappy person who doesn't get along with people in an intimate setting, then taking care of babies is probably not for you.

The aggravation level can get pretty high, particularly with twins. Somebody always needs to be fed or changed or exercised. I do reach a point where I need to bail. I'm backup for Mom and Dad. They can't go home and leave the babies behind.

The nursery stage that I'm currently going through with the twins doesn't last long... a little less than the first year. Life is a little confining because the babies can't play outside yet.

But, I'm having fun with the babies. I'm looking forward to when the twins crawl and walk and eat real food. The older girl will be going off to pre-school next fall and grandpa will miss her.

Comments

[windbag]

Good for you. I loved raising my kids. I worked at home my son's first year and my wife didn't work at the time, so he never lacked for attention and interaction. We had season tickets to Dollywood (amusement park) over in Pigeon Forge, TN and went dozens of times per year. The kids outgrew it eventually, but it was great in the moment.

One day I took my daughter by herself to Dollywood and she and I were holding hands, skipping along from one section to the other. We came around a corner skipped past a woman who clucked her tongue and shot us a nasty look.

I felt sorry for her kids.

One of those pictures everyone posts on facebook caught my attention the other day. It said "Real fathers don't babysit their kids, they raise them." You already figured that one out.