Need More Ear Tags: Grandkids, Names, and a Failing Memory

On March 24th I wrote about being thankful for ear tags on the lambs so I could tell them apart. A little number here, a little color coding there, and boom—no more mixing up the twins. Simple. Effective. Sanity-saving.

This past weekend, one of our grandsons came to visit. Now, as I’m sure every parent and grandparent on earth has experienced, the moment came when I needed to get his attention… and my brain promptly short-circuited.

I ran through the usual name gauntlet: a sibling, a cousin, one of our old dogs, possibly a chicken, and then finally blurted out, “Oh, whoever you are, come here!”

Without missing a beat, my husband—who has witnessed this before and lived to tell the tale—said, “Maybe we should start putting ear tags on the grandkids.”

Now before you poo-poo the idea, just think about it.

Never again would I be confused about who I’m talking to. No more name roulette. No more muttering under my breath while I try to remember which one is the soccer player and which one eats ketchup on everything including toast. And if there are twins involved? Problem solved. Color-coded ear tags and we’re golden.

Of course, tagging your grandkids like livestock is generally frowned upon by polite society (and probably several government agencies). So I propose a compromise:

Name tags.

Issue one to each child upon entry. Pin it to their shirt. Easy peasy. If I have a senior moment, I can just read it. Nice and simple.

…Assuming, of course, I can find my glasses.

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©2009 Sandy Davis | American Way Farm