25 REASONS WHY CHILDREN LOVE GRANDPARENTS

1. We're always up for an adventure. Whether it's a nature hike, a day of kayaking, or a weekend of camping, we like to get outside as much as the kids do.

2. We know lots of stories — and some of them are even true.

3. We can grow things. Maybe it’s a garden of tomatoes and zucchini. Maybe it's just a potted plant. And if the kids help, we'll let them get their hands dirty.

4. We know our way around libraries and book stores. Where are the picture books? Where can kids find something for tomorrow’s report on Conestoga wagons? We can be great guides.

5. We're not afraid to be silly. Did a grandchild make a mask or a funny hat? We know who will try it on. Is no one at home willing to listen to kids' knock-knock jokes? Guess whom they should call.

6. We let grandchildren take their time. When kids stay with us, they don't need to rush to get dressed in the morning. They know we will wait for them.

7. We make the best audience. When grandchildren learn a new poem, some fancy dance moves, or their first violin piece, they count on us to watch, listen — and applaud.

8. We have the coolest pets. Whether it’s a cocker spaniel or a real, live, talking parrot, we share our animals with the kids. What's more, we let our grandchildren help take care of the animals.

9. We love to travel. We're up for a week in Yellowstone, a vacation at Disney, or a family cruise.

10. We knew our grandchildren's parents when they were kids, and we have the pictures to prove it. We can tell the kids stories about their parents that their moms and dads would never tell themselves.

11. We make great popcorn, not to mention brownies and sundaes. And we always let kids help, even if it gets messy.

12. We know tons of good songs, especially the ones kids learn in nursery school and kindergarten, and we love to sing along.

13. We're always thrilled to hear from our grandchildren, especially when they have something special to report.

14. We're walking history books. Most of us can remember when televisions had antennas, cars had fins, and phones had cords. When we take kids to a science or history musuem, we make exhibits come to life.

15. We collect and display our grandchildren's art like museum curators, and we wouldn't trade a grandchild's first sunny-day scene for the Mona Lisa.

16. We send kids the coolest care packages when they go away to camp, to college, or just for the fun of it.

17. We pay our grandchildren to help out around the house, and sometimes we even beat minimum wage.

18. We believe whatever stories our grandchildren want us to believe, even when neither of us can stop laughing as the kids tell them.

19. We have skills to teach our grandchildren that they can't learn in school, like patching a tire, catching a fish, and sewing a hole in a favorite pair of jeans.

20. When our grandchildren aren't feeling well, we will snuggle up on the couch and watch cartoons with them, even SpongeBob.

21. We'll read our grandchildren's favorite books to them, over and over again. Then we'll go out and get new books that are even better.

22. Even if we live far away, we stay in touch and make sure grandchildren know that we're thinking about them.

23. We let our grandchildren teach us things, like how to use a cell phone and share photos online.

24. We want to make every day we spend with our grandchildren special. And when we're not with the kids, we go online to find more things to do with them.

25. We love our grandchildren unconditionally. Now, what could be better than that?