A Parent's and Grandparent's Greatest Gift

We were watching a new show the other day. It was called Huckabee, and of course the show featured the former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee. During the show, Mike Huckabee took questions from the audience. A father-to-be asked for advice on how to be a good parent. After a bit of stumbling, Mike Huckabee hit it on the head. The greatest gift you can give, he said, is your time. Never forget that.



We agree.

High School Graduation

We attended our youngest son's graduation from high school on Saturday. There's something great about the look of a high school graduate's face. It's full of hope and expectation, full of the future. (And, we're sure, glee over being through with high school.)



The graduation was on Saturday. Today, Sunday, we carted him off to college for 4 days of orientation. It's a time of transition for him. It makes us think, that's what life is all about. Transitions. If there's one thing that's a constant in this world, it's change. And in today's modern world, the transitions seem to come fast and furious. So, when you're thinking about something weighty to teach your kids, tell them about transitions, about changing surroundings, taking new paths. If your kids take transitions in stride, they'll have an advantage in life and will be better able to reach their full potentials.

The Great Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment (just add kids)

We figure when we go and visit the grandchildren, we need to do two things. First, we need to wow them. That's right, we try to add entertainment value for our grandchildren. C'mon, how many times did you say, "I'm bored" when you were a kid? The second thing we try to do is to educate our grandchildren. The best of both worlds came together in our last visit to Michigan to see our grandkids. We brought them THE GREAT MENTOS AND DIET COKE EXPERIMENT.

First, of course, the dad and grandpa have to check out the equipment and make sure the pack of Mentos will slide uniformly into the 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke. So far, so good.



Then, removing the index card releases the Mentos mints into the Diet Coke. Hey, this really works!



Now, just add grandchildren.





We had a lot of fun, and we're pretty sure that at some point, the grandkids are going to wonder what caused this reaction, and who knows ..., it might lead to great grades in chemistry! In any case, it was both fun and educational. A great combination for activities for children and grandchildren.

We have plenty of these kind of activities in our grandparenting book, The Joyous Gift of Grandparenting and Doug's book, The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting.

There's more! If you're really serious about trying this experiment, check out this YouTube video. These guys take their Mentos and Diet Cokes seriously (and have so much fun in the process)! YouTube Mentos and Diet Coke Experiment.