Man to Man

Special Teams….

As the crowd gasps in worry, the home team is pushed back and with that, it’s fourth down and 45 to go… out comes the field goal kicker and the special teams for one heck of a long attempt to tie the game…

Throughout the year, so few actually buy the kicker’s jersey… few even think about him until the score is on the line and the kick means a chance at going to the superbowl… but until then, he’s just another player on the sideline…

So too are Grandparents! How often we let the game of raising children get lost because we don’t bring in our special teams . . .

I’m not saying that grandparents should have a say in every little battle or decision for a family, but as a society, we often push grandparents aside . . .

Yet, what a resource, what a wealth of knowledge . . , especially in knowing the wrong thing to do.  They’ve made the mistakes and, so often, can tell ya how to learn from what they did wrong.

And grandparents . . . If asked for advice, recognize that even the best kickers miss that field goal from time to time.

Give advice but also leave it there, wish your child the best in his/her parenting, and pray the decision scores those extra points.

And celebrate the win with the parents, not expecting to be the center of the celebration, because in reality, the kicker never makes MVP.

After 20 years in the U.S. Army, Stuart Skym has become a proven leader in the field of Health and Safety in industrial, civil, and offshore construction. He is currently the Sr EHS Manager Seattle Area Civil Construction. He holds numerous graduate degrees, his most recent receiving a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from Taft University and is currently working on his Doctorate of Strategic Leadership at Liberty University. His focus is on teaching others to raise their children in a manner that will allow them to become respectable care givers in the future? Stuart and his wife Sherry, live in Coupeville, Washington and have four children and adore their one grandchild.

Feature Photo by Andrii Lievientsov on Unsplash