New to Grandparenting.

[Caveman Jim]

So I let the cat out of the bag the other night in the "Not enough goofy humor here" thread.
Due to seeing this pic.....

Yep, I'm gonna be a grandpa!!! First one.
Seeings as there is not really a "How to be a Grandpa for Dummies" book out there (or is there?) I'm gonna need some inside information because I be a newbie at this kinda stuff cause I lived 2,700 miles fom my parents.

Things I do know:

Learn to spoil said grandkid & be ready to feel great about it when you give them back to their parents.....

Be ready to receive emergency babysitting duty calls from said grandkids parents.

When baby cries or needs changing hand off to grandma or closest female in the house...

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[AirResq]

That's a great start! Welcome to the club!

 

[cookie]

The closest I will be to being a grandparent is my daughters horse having a foal.

 

[RicInOR]

Change your locks.

You don't want to come in from the back room and find the kid. Make them leave (him/her) on the back porch.





Be patient - kids need a few years to be ready for grandpa time

I recommend a "tough" camera
ie


There are a number of brands - Fuji is on sale at CostCo about $150.
- camera can be dropped - my grandson dropped mine from the top of the monkey bars so he could get down easier
- camera is water resistant - they w\ill end up in the snow / pool etc
- camera is dust sand resistant - they will end up in those - even if hte only sand is kitty litter.
Save your pennies - by the time the kid is a few months old you'll want this. Or, is it OK that they will do this to your phone?


Start making lists of things to do
-ie Oregon Steam Up
- Elk Feeding



If you have the skills, make toys now -
Wood blocks
rocking horse
scooter -

Harbor Freight Tricycle

If you have some cash, $1000 today, saved until the kid is 65 can be worth a million then with interest.


Congratulations


ps - not a good idea to refer to your woman as "grand ma" ...

 

[Slobray]

The best advise I can give is that if your going to give the grandbaby noisy toys, make sure that you personally hand it to them on their way back home.



Their parents will love you for that one.


Ray

 

[Caveman Jim]

Change your locks.

You don't want to come in from the back room and find the kid. Make them leave (him/her) on the back porch.





Be patient - kids need a few years to be ready for grandpa time

I recommend a "tough" camera
ie
View attachment 402866

There are a number of brands - Fuji is on sale at CostCo about $150.
- camera can be dropped - my grandson dropped mine from the top of the monkey bars so he could get down easier
- camera is water resistant - they w\ill end up in the snow / pool etc
- camera is dust sand resistant - they will end up in those - even if hte only sand is kitty litter.
Save your pennies - by the time the kid is a few months old you'll want this. Or, is it OK that they will do this to your phone?


Start making lists of things to do
-ie Oregon Steam Up
- Elk Feeding



If you have the skills, make toys now -
Wood blocks
rocking horse
scooter -

Harbor Freight Tricycle

If you have some cash, $1000 today, saved until the kid is 65 can be worth a million then with interest.


Congratulations


ps - not a good idea to refer to your woman as "grand ma" ...

I do appreciate your advice, I will keep them under close contact for after the baby arrives.
I will be cleaning and calibrating the woodworking tools this winter & get busy on making the crib & changing table (can't slack on the needed stuff).

 

[Slobray]

I do appreciate your advice, I will keep them under close contact for after the baby arrives.
I will be cleaning and calibrating the woodworking tools this winter & get busy on making the crib & changing table (can't slack on the needed stuff).

Instead of making a new crib, it's cheaper and less time consuming to take an old one, refurbished it and you still get the credit for doing it. That's what I did, but then again it's going to depend on the mom.......... Some only want the new stuff, some are happy with what ever you give them and some love the idea of "retro" baby furniture (that's where I earned brownie points), etc.

Just something to think about.....


Ray

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Well here's the best advice I can give. I love my parents, but they don't spend much time with my kids. There selfish with there time. Been a sore subject for years.
Second. New world since you raised kids. Kids now are pussies. Toughen them kids up.

 

[Ura-Ki]

Make sure to have "battery removal tools" handy. It's the toys left behind that suddenly start on their own in the middle of the night that will really drive ya crazy! Have plenty of sugar treats on hand to spoil with, then hand off to the parents! Elbow length gloves and chem mask for those nasty diaper changes, especially ones that got run around in before you noticed a need for a change!! Have emergency toy rescue tools for those toys that end up out of reach like under the furnature, or on the roof! Make sure the dogs dont think all the new toys are theirs, some dogs think all toys belong to them, don't want any bad feelings, and dont forget to pay lots of attention to the doggy so they don't get a nose bent out of shape ( like mine does)! Have Fun, that's what it's all about!!!

 

[SOrez]

Grandkids are definitely special and fun to spoil.

 

[Dungannon]

congrats Jim, and it looks like my two best pieces of advise were covered in your original post. I always wanted the grandbabies when they got sleepy because they'd fall asleep on my chest listening to my heartbeat and humming. It also got me out of miscellaneous busy work as who would disturb a sleeping baby? As they got older I loved reading to them. Well, maybe not loved [as I got tired of reading the same stories over and over] but it was a time I treasured. Some day all my grandkids will be teenagers and want to be with their friends so until then I'm making big deposits to the love bank. I won't be around when they get to be grandparents, so I hope the time and attention and activities they have with me now will be a positive role model for them in future years.

 

[mkwerx]

Love em and squeeze em and spend all the time you can with em. Not a grandpa but my boy has 3 sets of grandparents - and I see how each interact and how it effects him.

My father is 2500 miles away - too far to visit much. My son talks on the phone occasionally but does not have that warm relationship I wish he did - and it kills my dad that hes so far away from his only grandbaby.

My mom sees my boy regularly and thus kiddo loves spending time with her. Same fir my wifes parents.

And yes - they all spoil the kid. And he gets way too much sugar...

My advice is just be there as much as your kids can stand, and form the tightest bond you can because time with the grandkids is far too short compared to the decades you get to spend with your children.

And buy or build the kids fishing rods now my boy had the butt of a flyrod as a toy when he was just a couple months old - he loves to fish! At 6 hes big enough for some adventuring. He fished from a boat at a year and a half. I see lots of grandpa & grandkid time on the boat! And hey its an excuse to put in a heater and pizza oven if you don't already have them...or get a bigger boat if you do

 

[Stomper]

So I let the cat out of the bag the other night in the "Not enough goofy humor here" thread.
Due to seeing this pic.....
View attachment 402844
Yep, I'm gonna be a grandpa!!! First one.
Seeings as there is not really a "How to be a Grandpa for Dummies" book out there (or is there?) I'm gonna need some inside information because I be a newbie at this kinda stuff cause I lived 2,700 miles fom my parents.

Things I do know:

Learn to spoil said grandkid & be ready to feel great about it when you give them back to their parents.....

Be ready to receive emergency babysitting duty calls from said grandkids parents.

When baby cries or needs changing hand off to grandma or closest female in the house...

Dude, you're alreay an ace! LOCK & LOAD!!

 

[Caveman Jim]

Instead of making a new crib, it's cheaper and less time consuming to take an old one, refurbished it and you still get the credit for doing it. That's what I did, but then again it's going to depend on the mom.......... Some only want the new stuff, some are happy with what ever you give them and some love the idea of "retro" baby furniture (that's where I earned brownie points), etc.

Just something to think about.....


Ray

Yep, that was a topic that was touched on during the last visit with them. All options are on the table..

 

[Caveman Jim]

Well here's the best advice I can give. I love my parents, but they don't spend much time with my kids. There selfish with there time. Been a sore subject for years.
Second. New world since you raised kids. Kids now are pussies. Toughen them kids up.

Believe me when I say that both my kids and my new son-in-law are self-made people. They do not complain about having to get up and go to work, work hard and spend time with their family's (except for my Son in the CG but he makes up for it when he's on leave).
Sorry that your parental experiences were not optimal.

 

[Dungannon]

My daughter was miffed when my first grandson learned to say 'tool' before saying 'mama.' She scowled at me and said, 'dad, this is your fault.' I just grinned and shrugged, and decided not to tell her I had already started working with him on 'gun.' True story, and ten years later she has forgiven me.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Make sure to have "battery removal tools" handy. It's the toys left behind that suddenly start on their own in the middle of the night that will really drive ya crazy! Have plenty of sugar treats on hand to spoil with, then hand off to the parents! Elbow length gloves and chem mask for those nasty diaper changes, especially ones that got run around in before you noticed a need for a change!! Have emergency toy rescue tools for those toys that end up out of reach like under the furnature, or on the roof! Make sure the dogs dont think all the new toys are theirs, some dogs think all toys belong to them, don't want any bad feelings, and dont forget to pay lots of attention to the doggy so they don't get a nose bent out of shape ( like mine does)! Have Fun, that's what it's all about!!!

And the good Lord I have not forgotten about those dirt diaper changes when my kids were little because we raised them in a 34 foot travel trailer while I was on the road Contracting.
Our fur babies are well-trained around youngsters but we will continue to give them much love and affection while the youngin is around.

 

[Caveman Jim]

congrats Jim, and it looks like my two best pieces of advise were covered in your original post. I always wanted the grandbabies when they got sleepy because they'd fall asleep on my chest listening to my heartbeat and humming. It also got me out of miscellaneous busy work as who would disturb a sleeping baby? As they got older I loved reading to them. Well, maybe not loved [as I got tired of reading the same stories over and over] but it was a time I treasured. Some day all my grandkids will be teenagers and want to be with their friends so until then I'm making big deposits to the love bank. I won't be around when they get to be grandparents, so I hope the time and attention and activities they have with me now will be a positive role model for them in future years.

Exactly brother, we can only hope that we are positive role models for our kids and grandkids. We have had much success with our own kids taking on our family values, work ethics, hobbies and I would hope that it would carry on to the next generation because I know my kids will not raise their babies to be snowflakes or millennials.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Love em and squeeze em and spend all the time you can with em. Not a grandpa but my boy has 3 sets of grandparents - and I see how each interact and how it effects him.

My father is 2500 miles away - too far to visit much. My son talks on the phone occasionally but does not have that warm relationship I wish he did - and it kills my dad that hes so far away from his only grandbaby.

My mom sees my boy regularly and thus kiddo loves spending time with her. Same fir my wifes parents.

And yes - they all spoil the kid. And he gets way too much sugar...

My advice is just be there as much as your kids can stand, and form the tightest bond you can because time with the grandkids is far too short compared to the decades you get to spend with your children.

And buy or build the kids fishing rods now my boy had the butt of a flyrod as a toy when he was just a couple months old - he loves to fish! At 6 hes big enough for some adventuring. He fished from a boat at a year and a half. I see lots of grandpa & grandkid time on the boat! And hey its an excuse to put in a heater and pizza oven if you don't already have them...or get a bigger boat if you do

Awesome advice @mkwerks, a bond is what we mostly want. While I do already have the fishing and shooting avenues covered I plan to upgrade to a larger boat. I have an 18 ft windshield boat right now but plan to upgrade to a 22 footer with a full top, heater and porta pottie to accommodate the whole family if needed....

 

[Caveman Jim]

Dude, you're alreay an ace! LOCK & LOAD!!

Thanks for the vote of confidence brother Stomper!!!