And if I go back more than forty years ago, I probably did the same to my parents. What’s interesting is how parents and grandparents share different views on punishment. When our children act like fools, we pass out swift justice. But if a grandchild acts foolish, leniency comes naturally. And this is how it’s been for decades.
As a child, if I acted foolish in mom and dad’s house, justice always involved sitting in a corner or an early bedtime. But in the court of “grandma and grandpa” they often overlooked my shenanigans.
My wife and I find ourselves doing the same with our grandson. He likes to throw his toys and toss his food on the floor for our cats. In his childish mind, he’s just feeding them. I can remember doing the same. If my brothers and I had food we didn’t want, we also gave it to the cat or dog. And they always enjoyed the free food, unless we gave them peas or lima beans.
Do you know what else never changes about children? Their funny rituals about eating new foods. Rarely does a child blindly put food in his mouth. It’s like when people buy new cars. They like to look, sit in it, and then take it on a test run before buying it. A child will do the same with food. He might sniff it, stare, or even lick it first. If he doesn’t eat it, he will either throw it on the floor or not eat it.
So no matter what decade you associate with your childhood, you most likely acted like your own parents when they were children. People often say they are turning into their parents, which is correct. But every adult also used to be a bratty food throwing child.
Marc is a grandparent and longtime resident of Clermont County. Visit his author page at http://www.lifewithgrandpa.com.