I’m so impressed by the deliberate way your parents actively “grand-parent” all their grandchildren. I’d love to read the details of your dad’s chart with his plans of what he wants to do with the grandkids at the different ages, but the angle makes it hard to read all of it.  {from THIS post}.  Do you happen to have any straight-on zoomed-in pictures of it or would you mind explaining what it says sometime, please? Thank you! I am always looking for meaningful ideas to help my children grow stronger. 


I got a whole slew of questions about this so here you go:

I meant to go back and get a close-up after this cute little impromptu grandfather chat, but I never did.  So I may have to translate a little bit.

This “chart” just explains the plan of what he wants to do with grandkids at all different stages.  The first section is from ages 4-6 where he wants to share “Mirror Land” stories with them (all about “Mirror Land” back HERE…that’s our own family version but my dad made this up when we were little….those look-alikes in the mirror had all kinds of adventures…a little bit more about that HERE).

They’re too young for much else at that age and have I mentioned he’s a good story teller?


From the ages 6-8 he makes “treasure chests” with them.   It was Lucy’s year or that this year and boy oh boy she couldn’t have been more excited about that.


 Finished product:


From ages 8-10 it says “Sailboat meeting on Grandfather Secrets and Bear Lake Rocks.”  I can’t tell you what those secrets are or I’d break my vow of secrecy.  Ha!  I really will tell you though because they are good.  Stuff like how important it is to be a leader, how Heavenly Father will always be there for them when they need Him, etc.


Here are the first few:
1) Most kids are waiting for someone to lead them but they just don’t know it yet.
2) Joy is the purpose of life and a choice you make.
3) The Holy Ghost will help you on all your decisions large and small.
There are eight now I believe.  I will have to have my kids tell me the rest.  I love them.  I love that he takes the time to instill such important things in their impressionable minds. 
The “BL” or “Bear Lake” rocks are just special, colorful, smooth little stones that he give them to keep.  The idea is that when they see those rocks, they will remind them of the “secrets.”

The next section is from ages 10-12 and it is when they do a hike to a place called “Singletree.”

The 4th “secret” says “You are unique and foreordained.  Chose where to plant yourself and grow into all you can be.”  He takes them on a hike to this awesome tree he has named “Singletree.”  It stands alone near our cabin.  He explains how sometimes in life we really have to have the courage to stand alone and stand tall like that tree does.


At this age he and my mom also give them a certain amount of money to figure out how to “broad and contribute.”  (Our family motto growing up…back HERE.)  They can use it to take lessons or learn about something that they believe will help broaden their mind and they can use it to contribute and serve somehow.  The idea is to help them become more aware of the needs of others and take action.

From ages 12-14 my parents take the grandkids on a “motorhome trip.”  The oldest “group” went to Yellowstone.  The next one went to Lagoon (I know, funny difference).  They have the time of their lives and talk about Decisions in Advance (I thought I wrote about that in this blog…I did a little bit back HERE, but I’ll have to write more detail soon).

We haven’t really gotten to the other stuff so I’ll have to explain that more when we get more grandkids those ages, but there you go.

Lots of deliberate-ness going on there.  Thank you Dad!!  I adore you!

The reunions are my favorite posts every year from you {the one from this year is back HERE}. They are just filled with so much fun, growing, learning and strengthening of family. I do have to ask though why the “alm” on the end of eyre? 

My Dad likes to do plays on words.  He wanted to add the “alm” to the end so it’s like a little “Realm” of Eyres.  The “Eyre Realm” but all squished together.

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5 Comments

  1. Thank you for taking the time to share your life on the blog. You and your family are such a bright light to me and the world!

  2. Thank you. I too hope that you will have time for this wonderful blog. Thanks for sharing your ideas and your parents. They are are such an inspiration. I just purchased one of their books and i am way excited to read it.

  3. Thanks for going into details about this chart. I was wondering the same thing and hoping you'd be able to share the specifics of it with us when you got the time. It is really great stuff! I'm so wanting to start now with my own kids while they are little to do things like this.
    My favorite posts are these family reunion ones too! But I have to ask—it all looks far and away too perfect or like absolutely every brother, sister, in-law and cousin get along. Is that how it is or is there every any drama that occurs? It seems that our family can only do about a day with all of us together before someone rubs someone the wrong way or feelings get hurt or heated. Is every adult in the family just super duper easy going and so are the one who married in? That is a ton of people to be together for a number of days and not have any tiffs or strain on emotions.
    Help me realize that your extended family is not all cheery and cooperative all day long every day you are together…and I might feel a little more hopeful that I might be able to work towards pulling something similar off for years to come with my own kids and their families going forward. Based on just my reunions with my siblings—I'm not so sure its possible.

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