One thing my Dad likes doing with his grandkids is eating Hershey’s chocolate syrup with a spoon, straight from the bottle.

It was a big day in our household when Kim taught Lucy how to dunk cookies in milk.

And then there’s the story a childcare professional I met in Houston shared with me. She told me that when she was a little girl, she saved and saved her money to buy a Slip & Slide. It was a great accomplishment for her, and recently she decided to buy one for her grandkids to use. After getting it all set up, her granddaughter stared at the long stretch of slippery plastic with a confused look. The girl’s mother exclaimed, “You have to show her how it’s done, Mom!”

The woman sharing the story told me that although she was fully clothed, after a few moments of hesitation, she took off sliding down memory lane.

“It was wonderful!” she reported.

If you have kiddos in your life — children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, students, etc. — you have a big responsibility. You have to show ‘em how it’s done. And I’m not talking about the basics like table manners or personal responsibility. I’m referring to things like eating Hershey’s chocolate with a spoon, dunking cookies in milk, and the proper use of a Slip & Slide. Not to mention things like blowing bubbles with gum, using your hand as a rubber band shooter, and how to bob for apples…you know, the little things that add magic and whimsy to life.

This is not about being the “fun” grandparent, aunt, or teacher. It’s about the important responsibility you have to make sure the kids in your life are fully prepared to effectively fight the Adultitis they will encounter as they grow up. It’s about teaching them that life is too serious to take themselves too seriously. And it’s about dusting off any Adultitis that has accumulated in your life!

Go ahead, show ’em how it’s done!