I have often thought it if it were possible, that it would be easier to start off the parenting adventure as a grandma rather than a mom. Just imagine, you could ease in to parenting gently by enjoying the children on a limited basis, taking them on fun outings without dealing with the aftermath and hand them back when they decided to be rotten. Ok, so life doesn’t work like that. There is no gentle introduction. Unfortunately all parents get thrown in to the vast sea of parenting uncertainty the moment that tiny little bundle gets placed in their arms. Suddenly they go from being the masters of their own destiny to the caring for a cute but albeit constantly demanding little person around the clock with no breaks, marginal amount of sleep and perpetually cold food.

I’ve often asked myself how many people would answer the call to be a parent if it was advertised in the paper. Wanted, a selfless individual to work long hours. Smelly working conditions and must be prepared to be routinely covered in spittle and/or regurgitated milk. Opportunities for advancement include being a unpaid chauffeur, maid, cook, amateur psychologist, teacher, nurse and let’s not forget…personal banker. But if you look at that long list of parenting requirements and swallow hard, just remember something. There is someone who has not only been through the parenting jungle but has come out with the monkeys carrying the coconuts. Someone with immense wisdom who has been there and got the T-shirt. And that person is none other than your mom and your children’s grandma.

Yes, there she is and she’s a vast encyclopedia of knowledge just waiting to be noticed. I like to think of grandma’s wisdom like a maple tree waiting to be tapped. Most grandma’s will continue to drip snippets of information but all that knowledge is destined to lie wasted, unless we act quickly and get busy trapping some of those dribbles of wisdom in a jar. At that point, we might actually get enough of the good stuff to really help us out….or at least make a terrific batch of pancakes.

Now, I know some grandmas don’t know when to keep their mouth firmly shut and there are other grandmas out there that make you wish you’d never been born but by and large they are a marvelous lot. And surprise, but they actually do know stuff. Oh, I know it’s somewhat old fashioned and the world has moved on but you know when all is said and done, your aging mom has turned in to a fountain of knowledge and who wouldn’t want to tap in to that.

So, next time your mother has the timidity to suggest something, don’t dismiss her out of hand because you never know, she might actually be right.