Big Kid

Moms. Dads. I have to break it to you. We are not the coolest people in our kids' lives. But that's OK! Really!

We who bathe and feed and clothe, we who get up in the wee hours to cool feverish brows and stay up late at night sewing wee costumes for the school play, we who sit through mind-numbing cartoons and even more mind-numbing bedtime stories ... are trumped every time by the grandparents. They sneak in and steal our kids' hearts, and that's the way it's supposed to be. Trust me. I've got proof!

Remember your granny, the one who snuck you those fudge stripe cookies when Mom wasn't looking? And what about Grandpa, who always had time to stop off at the candy store? Our parents felt about them the way we feel about our parents ... a little bit jealous, but so relieved to have them for the occasional date night, and even more grateful to have an extra person showering our kids with L-O-V-E.

Call it the circle of life. Call it karma. Call it revenge (I swear my parents don't give my daughter sugar until RIGHT BEFORE she's supposed to come home with me). But there is nothing sweeter than a little kid who knows they've got a grandparent wrapped right around their finger, am I right?

Behold the evidence, and then tell us: which grandparent has stolen your kid's heart?

Image by Jeanne Sager