When Grandparents Are Stubborn As A Mule

If you are a grandparent being stubborn about something may not be a good idea, and then again it might.  Let me explain.

First, let me state that I think mules have gotten a bad reputation. I mean they have other qualities besides being stubborn. So how come no one ever mentions them? I think mule loving folks should get together and file a lawsuit against whoever has stereotyped the poor mule. Or maybe they could get Congress to pass a law to keep people from discriminating against them. Oh wait, I forgot. Our Congress can’t agree on anything so they sure wouldn’t be able to tackle something as complicated as Mule Discrimination. Anyway……

Baby mules are cute! My brother has three of them and Abby and I recently visited them. This little fellow’s name is Jasper.

If You Weren’t Raised On a Farm

You may not know much about mules. A mule is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). A horse has 64 chromosomes, and a donkey has 62. The mule ends up with 63. Mules can be either male or female, but because of the odd number of chromosomes, they can’t reproduce. (So I guess mules don’t have to worry about birth control)

As I was saying earlier before I started rambling. Mules are known for being stubborn but what about grandparents? Things change and sometimes change can be confusing. When my babies were born we were told to let them sleep on their tummies. Now they say don’t do that. They need to sleep on their backs. If a grandbaby is in my care and it goes to sleep do I lay it down on it’s tummy (I had five and they all slept that way and survived) or do I lay the baby on its back?

The correct answer is …..

Whatever the parents tell me to do (I bet you knew that).

But what if the parents were wrong about something? Let’s say they don’t believe in wearing seat belts. Now that’s a horse (or a mule) of a different color.

Did my parents always make me wear a seat belt? No.

Did my grandfather pile his grandchildren in a jeep without seat belts and jar us all over the farm? Yes.

Fortunately we survived but it’s not a good idea to let children not wear seat belts. In fact I have been known (shhh, don’t tell) to call the police when I spot a pick up truck with children bouncing around in the truck bed on the highway.

In conclusion, being stubborn about some things is good. Being stubborn about everything is not. That’s probably not anything you didn’t already know (I don’t claim to be Confucius) but if nothing else you may feel a little more affectionate towards mules after reading this post. I hope so, because my brother’s baby mules are really sweet!