My two-year-old grandson likes to put chicken in his hair, scream, and throw toys. But if I go back nearly twenty years ago, my son also wore his food and unleashed terrible tantrums. 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.
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