Grandparenting: Pipe Dope and Axle Grease Style

Pipe dope and axle grease. These are two phrases that never made it into our vocabulary when we were only raising girls.
For those who don’t know, pipe dope is not narcotics you smoke in a pipe. Thank heavens.
My son came home with pipe dope recently. He also brought home axle grease.
It seems he has been poling the retired engineers in the neighborhood for information about how to build a giant rocket. Helpfully, they have sent him home with all kinds of left-over metal tubes perfect for inspiring a young boy’s dreams.
I’m still not sure an axle grease gun is, but I know what it looks like. On my garage door. On the floor. On his clothes.
The other tube was as big as he is. I just hope he doesn’t try to launch himself.
My neighbors inspire me with their ability to encourage dreams in my son.
Seeking my own inspiration, I turned to my favorite eight-year-old expert, a lively young friend with a sharp wit and a delightful laugh.
Here’s her list on what grandmothers should know.
The first rule in buying gifts for your grandsons is to remember that boys like anything “Dangerous and Dirty.” Hmm…what an observant child!
She suggests buying grandsons “knives, guns, mud-proof swimming stuff, knives, guns, climbing stuff, knives, guns…pretty much knives and guns.” Oh, and we agree that grandparents should never give their grandsons a rope that could be used to tie up their sisters.
For girls, she suggests “tea cups, tiaras, and international dolls” for girls. She thinks collections are nice because having choices, particularly in which tiara to wear today, is a good thing.
“I like to tramp around in the woods,” she adds. I’m including that bit of information on her list because I suspect that the best gift you can give your grandkids is time together.
“Glittery dresses, cool jeans with sparkles, practically anything sparkly,” she says, “I like sparkly.” So do I, especially in little girls’ personalities.
Speaking of presents, a package arrived in the mail for my son recently from a kind cousin who understands boys. Inside was the “Dangerous Book for Boys.”
My son won’t let me near it.
“Mom, get this! On page 45 it tells the instructions for making a bomb,” he said with delight as we drove along the other day.
“Let me see that book,” I stammered as I grabbed at it, trying to keep my car on the rode.
“Gotcha!”
All I can say is, I certainly hope being a grandmother is less challenging than being a mom.

Cathy Primer Krafve, aka Checklist Charlie, lives in beautiful East Texas where she is helping plan her daughter’s wedding and tactfully trying not to mention grandchildren. Contact her at CaeKrafve2@aol.com.