It’s a fact. Grands have more energy than big people, squared. Fellow baby-sitters, I’ve learned some secret ways of coping and I’m sure you have, too. Let’s swap stories. 

Here’s one of my fallback plans for those little kid years. When the day starts dragging and my energy starts flagging, I’ve figured out it can be in my best interest to let the kids “talk me” into playing doctor. Please don’t tell them I like it. This is our secret, y’all. Why doctor, you ask? Because I can sit still, prop my legs up, and have a wonderful coffee break while enjoying watching them use their imaginations even as I satisfy their desire for both pretend play and adult interaction. 

I’ve been diagnosed with some of the strangest sound maladies that’s ever come out of the medical field. I’ve had toilet paper casts and I’ve been prescribed countless rounds of apple juice. Surgeries? Are you kidding? I’ve lost track of how many operations I’ve endured under multi-colored Lego anesthesia. But the really neat thing about my long and storied medical history with the grands is that I always come out well-rested and ready to rock on—and that’s a win/win! So, tell me, what do you do when you’ve got the grands and your tired gets tired?