...When I Played an April Fool's Joke On My Grandchildren...

I don't know if anyone has ever played a prank on their grandkids for April Fools Day, but last year, I did and it came back to bite me. I mean, my grandchildren are such wonderful kids with so much energy, sometimes all you want is just a moment of quiet... So when I heard they were coming over this past April 1st, an idea popped into my head. I thought about what would make them laugh the most without scaring them, and it hit me. You know those silly plastic snakes that jump out at you? Well, I found one at a party store and decided to place it on their doorstep where they usually leave their shoes when they come over... So off I went with my little surprise. The look on their faces was priceless! They both screamed and ran inside telling each other to stay away from the front door. It was hilarious, but then something happened that wasn't so funny... Later that night after dinner, we were all in the living room watching a movie when there's this big thud from upstairs. Oh no, I thought... What have I done now? So I quickly went up to see what had happened and found out they'd both gone into their rooms and locked themselves inside. I didn't know how upset or scared they were until days later when we talked about it again and one of them said they felt a bit betrayed. They loved me, but my joke was too real for them... I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings with something that was supposed to be silly... It's been almost a year since then and while we all laugh about the event now, I still feel guilty every time I think about it... What was I thinking? Was it worth a few minutes of laughter at their expense or is there more to being a grandparent than just playing pranks? I hope they forgive me someday. It's not like I'll ever do anything like that again, but I guess I should have thought twice before trying something so unexpected... ...