Spoil Them And Send Them Back Home

"Larry" Joe and Linda Wise know just what to do with grandchildren.

"The best part is getting to spend time with them and then letting them go home when it's time to go home," laughs Linda.

The local couple who are lifetime Ulysses residents have three grandsons and four step-grandchildren. The oldest one is 26 and the youngest, 14.

Only one of their grandchildren lives in Ulysses, the oldest one, Kellen Carson. Kellen and his mom, Krystal, lived with the couple until he was around 5-years-old.

"We get to see Kellen and his wife, Hannah, quite a bit," said Linda. "We don't get to see the rest of them very often. Two belong to our son and they all live in Cincinnati, Ohio. We only see them once or twice a year."

The couple's other grandchildren live in the Oklahoma City area. Three of them are grown and out of the house.

They remember the birth of their first grandchild very well.

"It was great becoming a grandparent," Linda said. "I got to be in the room with her when she had him."

Joe laughs as he replies, "I was working

Grandparents or not, the couple keeps young by "keeping up".

"We like to go four-wheeling and camping together," Linda said.  "We rough it camping. We still use tents. We do have cots to sleep on so they are above ground some."

To which Joe added, "We've only been doing that since 1971 and that's when it was cheap."

When they go on their excursions, Joe said they typically travel to Syracuse or Beaver, Okla.

"There is a place called Little Sahara Desert - it's 1,600 acres of sand, trees, and ponds," Joe said. "It doesn't happen very often that we are able to go with the grandkids, especially since some of them moved to Cincinnati."

When asked what the hardest part is about being grandparents, the couple agreed that they don't "think anything is very hard." Although, there have been moments.

"The hardest thing for me was when Krystal and Kellen moved to Oklahoma City," Linda said. "I felt like I was losing a daughter and a grandson."

Kellen, however, returned.

"Schools there had 300 kids in a classroom," said Joe. "He came back here to finish high school."

When he returned to Ulysses, Kellen lived with his aunt, Amanda.

"Krystal didn't feel like it was our responsibility to raise him as we had already raised her and her siblings," Linda said. "And (Amanda) never had kids so she wanted a chance to experience having a child in the house."

The couple had four kids of their own, three girls and one boy. All of them graduated from Ulysses High School.

It's not often the entire family gets to gather together with the miles that separate them today.

"We had our Wise family reunion last year in Oklahoma City - we were all together then," Joe said. "That was pretty cool. Before that, the last one I remember was 30 years ago probably."

The couple does have some advice for other parents and grandparents.

"They grow up fast - we all know that," Joe said. "That is the best part - watching them grow up. You can imagine them when thy were little and before you know it - they are seniors in high school or getting married."

Linda encourages others not to waste time.

"Enjoy them while they are little - they grow up too fast," she said.

Linda and Joe are excited about what is to come.

"We are going to be great grandpa and grandma," she said.

The new little bundle of joy is expected on Joe's birthday, April 3.