Grandchildren, parents can learn from grandparents

Thank god for grandparents. They have patience and wisdom that greatly benefits grandchildren.
Although a nook in the back of my brain contained this insight, I didn’t fully understand the importance of grandparents until this past weekend, when I observed my father-in-law teaching my 3-year-old son, Braden, how to fish.
Like any young boy, Braden loves everything about the outdoors, especially the wonderful creatures in it. Last year he and I found a grass snake that he was quick to hold when I asked if he wanted to. He also kissed a fish and put a worm in his mouth when I jokingly told him he should eat it.
Braden was also the boy at his daycare who attempted to catch a frog outside that all of the other kids ran from.
So this past weekend when we went to my in-laws lake home near Wautoma, my wife and I promised Braden he could go fishing on Grandpa’s boat. Unfortunately, high winds and crummy weather prevented fishing from a boat, although fishing from the shore was possible.
Saturday night, before a line of storms moved in, I got my fishing pole out and attempted to fish. I say attempted because I must have been doing something so wrong that I couldn’t even get a nibble.
Braden, inside the house at the time, must have voiced his desire to join me, because Grandpa brought him out, with his new SpongeBob pole and a lifejacket.
As I fished from another dock, I watched Grandpa show him how to cast and reel the practice lure in. They did this for a half-hour, with Braden saying “I did it” every time he made a successful cast, which was only once out of every five tries. He laughed every time he released the casting button too late, causing the lure to fall straight down into the water.
Grandma even helped Braden a little, observing a small bass follow the lure to shore once, which was once more than anything following my lure.
It wasn’t until the next day, when the weather was a little better and I attempted to help Braden fish, that his grandparents’ patience and wisdom, as well as that of most all grandparents, became apparent.
Watching Braden and his grandparents fish the previous day was a joy, but attempting to re-create that joy with him and me was not easy because I became quickly agitated when he didn’t listen to my instructions. After just a few minutes, I put a stop to our fishing escapade.
I was annoyed because he wasn’t listening to me and I was a little scared that his restlessness was going to end up with him falling in the cold lake. I was also frustrated because I couldn’t understand why Braden listened so well to his grandparents and not to me.
But then I realized he acted the same way with them at first, but they had the patience and wisdom to talk him out of bad behavior in favor of listening to their every instruction.
Later, after contemplating our failed fishing attempt, I decided to try again with Braden, this time using a worm and bobber instead of casting for fish – which was a real test because waiting for a fish to take a worm sometimes requires real patience.
Braden was excited to go fishing again, and his excitement once again resulted in bad listening skills. This time, thinking about how his grandparents handled him, I talked to him like they did and he quickly became the good boy I hoped for.
Several minutes later, my patience with him, which I learned from his grandparents, and his patience with the fishing process that he previously didn’t possess allowed him to catch his first fish, a little bluegill.
I had him kiss the bluegill, and then we released it. “Bye fishie,” he said as it swam away.
The patience and wisdom of Braden’s grandparents may someday allow him to become a great fisherman, or at least better than me, and hopefully a great person.
Their patience and wisdom is also teaching me how to be a better parent. Thank god for grandparents.