Quick Summary
Neil Taft quit high school three times, left home at 11, and built a life defined by resilience and family. This is the story behind the grandparenting philosophy - and why lived experience is the most credible teacher of all.
Watch Neil share practical grandparenting tips and insights from this article in his interview with Evonne Varady.
From quitting high school to writing four books, from NASCAR pit roads to national cheer competitions, Neil’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and resourcefulness.
His advice for all of us? Don’t save your tread. Try, fail, pivot, and live fully. By the end of the road, may your tires be completely worn out.
That philosophy has guided him through an extraordinary journey from the rough streets of Cincinnati to the cockpit of life as an entrepreneur, racer, contractor, author, and now, a grandparenting voice of wisdom.
Neil’s beginnings were anything but polished. Growing up in a poor Cincinnati neighborhood, he lost his father at age 11 and became, as he puts it, an “unsupervised 11-year-old” for the next decade. He quit high school three years in a row before finally earning his GED in the Air Force, where, perhaps surprisingly, he was trained as a jet aircraft mechanic.
That rocky start forged resilience. “I wasn’t a quitter,” Neil reflects. “Being unsupervised taught me survival. It also taught me to adopt mentors, families, and role models along the way.”
After the Air Force, Neil married and went to work for the now-defunct National Airlines in Miami. Seeing turbulence ahead in the airline industry, he pivoted into entrepreneurship and went on to build a successful business in western North Carolina.
What followed was a whirlwind of ventures:
Auto racing, with 31 years in various roles, including NASCAR TV production
Unlimited license general contracting and disaster restoration
Dry cleaning, property investing, and solar sales
Logistics for the world’s largest cheerleading company
Eventually, he dubbed himself a “professional piddler” in Wilmington, North Carolina, a title he’s held proudly for more than 15 years.
Neil’s love for racing began almost by accident, helping a friend’s son at a track one night. Soon, he was managing a Busch Grand National Race Team and producing NASCAR television content.
Later, through another twist of fate, he found himself working with a fast-growing cheerleading company. What started with hanging doors and fixing lights evolved into managing logistics for national competitions, a role he held for 15 years.
For all his career adventures, Neil counts family as his greatest blessing. With children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren, he embraced the role of grandparent with intention and heart.
That passion eventually sparked his writing career. What began as a blog about “grandparents’ rights” grew into hundreds of articles and thousands of monthly readers. He went on to author four books, including Grandparents’ Rights, No Greater Loss, and Good to Great Grandparenting.
So what’s the biggest mistake grandparents make? Neil says it’s forgetting to take care of their grandchildren’s mother.
“The daughter or daughter-in-law is the queen on the throne. She decides whether you get access to your grandchildren. Respect her, value her, and never take sides in a conflict.”
And the biggest myth? That grandparenting “just happens.”
“It’s not like falling off a log. It takes work, commitment, and intention. Life is complicated. Family life is a multiple of complicated. Extended family life is exponential.”
Neil Taft's philosophy is "Don't save your tread" - meaning live fully, try, fail, pivot, and wear out your tires completely by the end of the road. He believes resilience, reinvention, and fully lived experience are the greatest gifts you can model for your grandchildren.
Neil grew up in a poor Cincinnati neighborhood and lost his father at age 11, becoming an unsupervised teenager. He quit high school three times before earning his GED in the Air Force as a jet aircraft mechanic. He then built a career spanning airlines, entrepreneurship, auto racing, contracting, and logistics - eventually becoming a professional piddler in Wilmington, NC for 15+ years.
Neil became a grandparenting expert through lived experience raising four generations of family - children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. His passion for family led him to start a blog about grandparents' rights, which grew into hundreds of articles and four published books on grandparenting.
Neil says the biggest mistake grandparents make is forgetting to take care of their grandchildren's mother. He emphasizes: "The daughter or daughter-in-law is the queen on the throne. She decides whether you get access to your grandchildren. Respect her, value her, and never take sides in a conflict."
Neil Taft has written four books: Caring Grandparents, Good to Great Grandparenting, Grandparents' Rights, and No Greater Loss. Each focuses on practical strategies for building intentional, lasting connections with grandchildren across different life circumstances.
by Neil Taft
Grandparents Caring ABOUT Grandchildren
Grandparents Caring FOR Grandchildren
Adding value to your considerable intention about and for your Grandchildren through additional knowledge and support of your efforts as a Grandparent. There is power in numbers and knowledge. This book will let you know that you are not alone and, at the same time, share what other Grandparents are experiencing.
This book will guide you how to unleash your grandparenting super power.
