What's So Great About Grandchildren?

Not that grandparenthood is everyone's cup of tea. I get that.

Janet McNeill

Mar 31, 2025

Not everyone is a parent.

Or wants to be!

Well, duh.

As it happens, I am, & have been for going on 45 years now.

By choice! I wanted to be a parent. Well, a mother – & it's all worked out for me very happily. Enriched my life hugely. No regrets there!

Not all parents become grandparents. Or want to be.

To be honest, becoming a grandmother was never on my "bucket list." But then, I never HAD a bucket list. So. There's that. 🙂

I've been a grandmother for going on ten years now, & have three delightful grandchildren. One boy & two girls, the youngest a toddler. Three years old.

I recently spent a week looking after her while her parents went away for a much-needed vacation.

It was ... intense!!

Fun. Exhausting. Intense.

One day while she was at "school" (we called it nursery school in the old days), I started a list of "What's so great about grandchildren?" When they're young, especially. Toddlers, I guess. They're such fun at that age!

Here goes:

Their innocence – their implicit trust in (& love for) the adults in their lives.
Their non-judgment. They don't give a hoot about your hair, your make-up (or lack thereof). Or your clothes. Or "social status," i.e. whether you're "rich" or "poor." Have a big house (or no house). A nice car (or no car). Social status means absolutely diddly-squat to young children.
They don't see you as "old." (Not yet, at least! More on this below.)
They seem to love unconditionally – something many of us strive for, but seldom achieve.
Young ones are easily distractable. So you can get a toddler to forget about that chocolate cupcake (or whatever) by talking about the fire station you're about to see. Or pointing to a bird flying over. Whatever. They move on fast! (Hmmm. I guess we adults are pretty distractable too. Let’s not go down that road here.)
They live "in the moment." Not obsessing over what happened last week, might happen later today, or next week. Another thing many of us as adults strive for, but often don't succeed at terribly well. (That Be.Here.Now thing? It’s a constant discipline for adults.)
They live a day at a time, in other words. A moment at a time!
They won't agree (or disagree) with you about politics or religion or world affairs – 'cos they don't give a darn about those things. Their world is what's very immediate to them.
They for sure do not suffer from "Trump Derangement Syndrome," for which I am grateful. (It just gets a bit tired … you know??).
They're not on social media, or always looking at their phone as if you're a distraction from what really matters to them. (My daughters have made a point of delaying/minimizing their children's exposure to "screens" & "devices," which to me is a really good thing!)
Kids are curious! They ask lots of questions & really wonder about stuff. (I wish more adults had more curiosity!!)
Young children are pretty easy to amuse. Easy to delight! Especially toddlers. You can go for a walk with one & find her absolutely delighted to spot birds, flowers, dogs, fire trucks. A garbage or recycling truck. The 22 bus!
They don't carry grudges.
They're self-absorbed – in a good way, I think. We adults will teach them (one hopes) to realize s/he is not the only person on the planet. To be considerate of others, & polite, & all that important stuff – as s/he grows.
As a grandparent, one is not responsible for them 24/7!!! (Unless one is while Mommy & Daddy are away.) One can enjoy the heck out of them for a while – & then hand them back – until the next visit! And return to one's own possibly rather self-absorbed life.

Parenthood is a massive responsibility. Phew. It really is. Not for the faint of heart, to be sure. Really requires teamwork!! Helpful spouses/partners, parents &/or friends. "Takes a village," & all that.

“Tripping [canoe tripping] teaches you responsibility. ...It gives you fitness and strength. But most of all it teaches you about teamwork. Teamwork is everything in life. People who don’t get that I don’t understand.” – Michael Budman being quoted in Canoe Country – The Making of Canada, by Roy MacGregor

So...

Grandmotherhood may not have been on my (admittedly non-existent) bucket list – but it sure has proven to be an absolute delight. 🙂

No wonder we all love little kids so much! Such innocence. Cute (& smart!) sayings & pronouncements. Adorable questions. They're actually pretty amazing little role models! Always reminding us of the really important things...

Janet

p.s. at one point I was sitting in a chair writing some notes about some of the cute things my granddaughter had said. She came closer & asked what I was drawing. I said "I'm not actually drawing - I’m writing. You’ll learn to write when you’re older.” She replied "Are you older?"

Cracked me up. Proves my point about her not thinking of me as "old." The concept is just not in her mind at all. And hey! I’m not exactly a spring chicken any more. So that was pretty fun.

p.p.s. I ran across a Substack "Note" the other day - involving a video a father took of an excited toddler waiting for a train to arrive. Perfect demonstration of how delighted a toddler can be. How excited. Curious about a new experience. Check through my Notes if you’d like to see it (it’s quite short & quite lovely!) - I shared it on Notes & am not sure how to share it here, or I would.