I caught them from my grandsons—the three “E”s. Starting with Enthusiasm.

I purposely sat across from my grandson Mason while my husband drove the speed boat, so I got the best view of the 6-year-old’s expressions. The faster we zipped around the lake, the bigger his grin. He has a way of grinning with his entire body, his smile revealing one newly emerged front tooth. When the boat slowed, he whirled a hand around into a tornado shape and shouted, “Faster! Faster!”

Heightened enthusiasm continued the next day when we snorkeled a new lake. When I asked my daughter where we should go, she pointed to an area where tree branches stuck out of the water. 

“Let's see what's around that fallen tree,” she said.

We snorkeled toward it and discovered an underwater world with algae-coated tree branches and a huge school of bluegills. We surfaced to share our amazement and to guess the number of fish. 

“One hundred!” Mason exclaimed.

“No, more like 200!” Jay, the 9-year-old cried. “Let's look for sunken treasures.” 

We enthusiastically dipped under again.

That night, I got warm goodnight hugs. Afterward, Mason ran for the bedroom only to pause, whip around and return for a second hug. I enthusiastically hugged him back.

Later in the week, after challenging my daughter and the two boys to a game of Capture the Flag, I caught my second E—Energized.

I tried to dart away from the athletic 6-year-old. I knew my sprinting muscles would scream at me later, but I didn't care. And when my daughter and I strategized about whether we should storm Mason and grab the flag or try to tag Jay and get him out of “jail,” I admit to being so caught up in the game, I said, “Let him rot in jail. We're going for the flag.”

Energized, muscles screaming, we stormed, darted, and grabbed. Success!

Before our visit was over, I caught a third E from my grandsons: Enlightenment.

While reading a book about reindeer, Jay furrowed his brow. 

“I've been wondering this forever. How does Rudolf get to sleep with his red nose shining in his eyes?”

“Uh, I've never thought about it. Good point. He could cover it up, I suppose.”

While reading a second book about prehistoric times, Mason asked, “How did the first rocks start?”

I opted for the easy answer. “God created them.”

“The universe began with an explosion,” Jay countered. “That's how we got stars, the sun and things like rocks. I forget when that happened. Do you know?”

I rubbed my forehead. Oh, boy. 

“I'll need to do some research and get back to you on that one. For now, would you show me how to make those cool effects on Kids Messenger? I want to turn myself into a kangaroo.” 

I pulled out my phone.

“Sure, Grammy.”

Energized, I enthusiastically lean in, ready to be enlightened.

September 11 is Grandparents Day, check out this other article about grandkids.