GMC Motor Home, Travel with Teri and Dan

The Day After

I hope all of the dads had a good day yesterday. I enjoyed my day and had one of my kids over with her 3 kids and husband. Got a card from Teri with a calculator in it so I would quit bugging her for the little calculater I can never find. Got a call from 3 other kids.
Do you ever wonder how the kids will remember their old dad? I don't think about it often but I do think about my dad who passed away in 93 at the age of 65. I also think of my granddad who took me to raise as a child. He died when I was 11 years old. I knew my grandfather was not perfect because I heard lots of stories about his younger days. However, my dad seemed to be the perfect guy. I never heard anything bad about him and I wondered just why. So, I tried to measure up as best I could but always fell short. He seemed to always have the right answers for his kids, whether we liked them or not. He commanded respect and we gave it to him, right up until his death. Oh sure my brothers and I would laugh at him sometimes but never to his face. I suspect he could have decked me right up until the time he got sick.
So, why don't our kids always ask us for advice and then listen and follow? I laugh as I type. I do wonder though what the difference is. I guess my kids learned early on that their dad was not perfect and saw his many shortcomings. It was not until after my father passed away did any of his siblings let me in on a few secrets. I think he had them all scared of him and they chose not to talk while he was alive. Just kidding of course. I did not always like what I heard from my father but he was right every time. I would listen and then go do what I thought was correct and I ususally fell flat on my face. He never said "I told you so". He would just smile. I learned from him to keep my mouth shut unless asked by my children. If they ask me, rare, I tell them. I never say "I told you so", I just smile and think of my dad.
My father never uttered a bad word in front of his kids. I can not say the same about myself. I had a short fuse sometimes. I am sure that if we could go back and re do things we would do a better job of raising our kids. You see, wisdom comes with age, or should. I hate to see my kids make mistakes due to a lack of wisdom on their parts and they all do it. I did it. They think they are much wiser than they are, I know, I was that way. I am not that much older than my children, got started young, yet I see them make the same mistakes I made. I wonder why we can not impart a bit of our wisdom on them. Maybe I am not as wise as I think I am, ha. I do know that one day they will look back and think about things I have said and done to try and help them. They will do that as their children become adults and wonder why they no longer pay much attention to them, wondering why they can not impart a bit of wisdom on those kids, my grandkids. So, I treat my grandchildren as I wish I could have treated my own kids. I give them all the time I can and I never lose my patience with them, well almost never. When they call me on the telephone, I stop everything and listen to the story they have for grandpa. When they call and ask me to come see them, I go, right then. I learned these things from my grandfather and I just try to pass it along to make him proud of me.
Life is short, hold your tongue with the kids and give the grandkids all you can. None of them will ever forget you for that. My father was proud of me, he told me right before he died, in front of strangers no less. I am proud of all of my kids too, mostly because they gave me the perfect grandchildren.
Yall have a great week.
Dan

posted by Dan & Teri Gregg @ 7:36 AM