There is a candy shop in the city of Keystone, South Dakota, just a few hundred yards down the mountain from that infamous Mount Rushmore monument. I can't tell you the name of that candy store, but I can certainly recall the sign on the counter that stands at just about eyeball-level for the average seven-year-old. The sign says this: "If Mom says, ‘No,' ask Grandma!"

Within the obvious humor of that single sentence, there are two truths revealed. The first, and more obvious of the two, is that all grandparents are a soft touch! They look at their children's children, and they melt with love and pride, and then pretty much anything that their grandchild asks for is granted. A case in point: We were spending some time with my parents at their cabin near Danbury, Wisconsin, one summer, and…