How many times have we all read the confession from older, successful men that if they had their lives to live over, they would spend more time with their children and work less? Getting caught up in a job and neglecting the home front is a very easy thing to do. As we all say when we speak the modern vernacular, "it's going around." Seems like many folks have to be getting along in years before it hits them that they have no relationship with their children. They have missed something that cannot be corrected.

But there is a way to recapture that missed opportunity. That way is called grandchildren.

Grandchildren come along and are there, looking you in the eye, craving your attention just like your children did. But this time, perhaps you are not saddled with so much workplace responsibility. This time, you have a little more wisdom. This time you probably realize that you can use some of your time to help put a better person on the planet. This time, you conclude, you are going to do it right, no matter how painful it is.

What most grandparents who failed to take time to enjoy their own kids don't realize is they are in for a wonderful experience. There is no pain involved. If you will read to your grandchildren, play ball with them, wrestle with them, take them fishing or swimming, and buy them ice cream, you will get your reward. They won't care if you are fat, ugly, or bald. They will let you know through their eyes that you are just about the best person that ever was. They will make you feel much better about yourself than that $100,000 per year that you earned back in your prime.

The bonus is, your own children will also appreciate the attention you give to your grandchildren and will probably forgive you for neglecting them when they were growing up. So there is a way to redeem yourself for your errant ways when you thought you were too important to attend to your domestic chores. Don't miss it this time.

Everyone should share as many experiences with their grandchildren as they possibly can. You will never, ever regret it. One day, after you and your grandchild have shared an enjoyable experience, he or she will look you in the eye and, for the first time in your life, you will really understand what love is.

Mack Samples is a regional writer who lives on 55 acres in Clay County. He is also a musician who tours with the Samples Brothers Band. Visit his website at www.macksamples.com