Never Babysit Your Grandkids

Dr. Chuck Stecker



I am always amused when I hear a dad say that he is busy or cannot do something because he has to babysit his kids. Dads do not babysit their own kids. They are dads. They have the amazing privilege of being entrusted by God with His children. Dads do not babysit their own sons and daughters.

The same applies to Grandparents.  
Never, Never Never - Just babysit your grandkids.

When our first grandchild, Ellie, was born, I wasn't sure if I would be able to control myself. Amazing is one of the greatest understatements ever heard regarding grandchildren.

From the first moment, my wife and I were trusted to have our grandkids by ourselves, we knew our lives would never be the same again.

Grandparenting is a far too important assignment from God to be simply relegated to being an "hourly hired person."

From the beginning, we told our daughter to never ask us to babysit our own grandkids. If she needed (just) a babysitter, she could call one of the teenage girls whose number she kept on her refrigerator.

Every moment with Grandchildren must be viewed as an investment. Consider "The Parable of the Talents" in Mathew 25:14. In everything God entrusts to us, he expects us to invest. That parable is not limited to finances. The reality is that finances are perhaps the least of the issues. God expects us to invest in His people. God expects each of us to invest in our family.

As I write this blog, I am still buzzing. This past weekend, all our kids and grandkids were at our home and we had an incredible time together.

To clarify the original statement - Never Never Babysit your Grandkids - We want our grandkids with us as much as we possibly can have them. When they are with us, the job is far too important to be degraded and called babysitting. That is not going to happen.

September 9th is Grandparents' Day of Prayer. One of the best resources you can plug into is our good friend, Cavin Harper's grandparenting ministry. Check out his website at http://www.christiangrandparenting.net/day-of-prayer

Remember Never Never (JUST) Babysit Your Grandkids.