Farm Grandpas are Simply the Best
There is something about grandpas that are often like a fine wine. They age better. A friend once told me that farm men often make better grandfathers than fathers, as they learned to slow down a gear or two and appreciate the kids that were around them a little bit more. I don’t know if that holds true for all the men out there, but I can tell you I think there is a nugget of truth that apply to most.
Grandpas can tell the best stories. Or at least my father did. His imagination grew a tad wild the older he got, and the grandkids laugh at stories that now are hard to recall if there is any ounce of truth in them at all.
Grandpas were raised in a great generation that experienced challenging times and through those challenges, made them to learn to appreciate some of life’s most simple things. Like the importance of eating a family meal together or playing a game of baseball in the front yard before the evening milking. Or even enjoy a pitcher of mom’s ice-tea after fixing fence on a hot summer day. My kids remember Grandpa Bob’s smile and his ability to listen. I can tell you that he did that pretty good as a father, too.
Grandpas like Bob Davidson can talk about borrowing money to put in a new milking parlor and simultaneously rebuild the family home after a house fire during the early 1980s. Grandpas can talk about the value of 4-H, FFA and the importance of hard work, sacrifice and commitment.
Grandpas taught their children and grandchildren how to give a proper handshake. “It's important to look them in the eye and give them a firm grip,” my kids would reminisce saying. Although grandpa Bob, who milked many cows back in his day, had a heck of grip that left the kids thinking he broke their hand.
Grandpa Bob loved to read classic novels, from authors like Steinbeck, Emerson and Kesey and followed the stock market religiously. He listened to classic music when milking cows and to NPR over the noon lunch hour to tune into Paul Harvey. Bob Davidson demonstrated to his kids and grandkids the importance of money management and being well-read, which he would say, “both will serve you well in life.”
I wish grandpas never had to die. Especially the ones that sported bib overalls and rubber boots. So much more could have been taught and so many more stories could have been shared. Farmers—slow down and appreciate the little ones around you. Tell the stories that have shaped you and share the struggles that have challenged you. The younger generation is soaking it all in and I promise you this, they will reshare your stories and remember your advice long after you are gone.
