Grandchildren and The Road Less Traveled

A grandfather talks about his grandchildren and the road less traveled.

This is a guest post by Craig Waddell. He blogs at DairyDevo.com

One of the great blessings of being a parent of adult children is their making you a grandparent. Another great blessing is being privileged to play a major role in the grandchildren’s upbringing due to their living nearby.

A grandpa wants to be there to protect them and provide for their every need. I’ve often said concerning our youngest granddaughter, “She may get hurt; and she inevitably will get hurt; but it’s not going to happen on Pa’s watch.” So, I follow her everywhere she goes. If she grunts and points, the indicated item is placed within reach.

Deep down, I know I can never keep my assertion. I know that my hovering does more harm than good because it hinders her coordination and skill development. I know that granting her every grunted whelm will slow her vocabulary development. But isn’t that what grandpas are for?

Grandchildren are so special. But like the children we raised when we were but youths ourselves, they must grow physically, mentally, socially, emotionally, and spiritually. (Luke 2:52). To do that, they must eventually make their own decisions. They must also learn to live with the consequences of those decisions. They must learn to express themselves so that they can communicate their joy or sorrow for making those decisions.

The above picture shows my granddaughter wandering off on her own. As she started walking away from me down the gravel road, I couldn’t help but think of Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken. Especially, the last three lines.

“Two roads diverged in the wood, and I-

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.”

Letting her grow up is going to be difficult. But as she and all our grandchildren travel life’s inevitable roadway, I hope they take the road less traveled. I hope that they are leaders and not followers. I hope that they accept life’s challenges with courage and determination. I hope that whatever their chosen vocation, they elect to serve with compassion and kindness.

But foremost, I hope they will do all these things because they will have chosen to follow the most important less-traveled pathway. The one described by Jesus.

“13 Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14) ESV