Even though Rick and Morty doesn't make it clear, Rick Sanchez is actually an excellent grandfather to Morty Smith. Through the three seasons of the hit animated series, Rick and Morty has been built around the relationship between grandpa and grandson. To say that their relationship is contentious is putting it mildly, and has resulted in Rick's ability as a grandfather often being questioned.
Whether you've seen one episode or the whole series multiple times, the case is there for Rick being a bad grandfather. His treatment of Morty (and Summer, for that matter) is all over the place, but he repeatedly puts them in danger through their adventures. This has resulted in physical harm, mental wipes to forget the horrors they've been through, and more. When they are on these trips through the multiverse, Rick is usually watching out for his well-being instead of theirs. To make matters even worse, he can also be verbally abusive to his grandkids. In his own twisted way, though, there's a case that Rick has great grandparent skills.
Based on the latest Screen Rant video, there's a variety of reasons why Rick Sanchez is a great grandfather. For starters, he does spend a lot of time with his grandkids, especially Morty. It's possible that quality time could be Rick's secret love-language and the days worth of adventures he shares with them is his way of showing affection for them. Morty also reciprocates this quality time with his grandfather and is still willing to spend time with Rick. They may frequently fight when they're together, but they always end up spending more time together afterward.
Throughout the adventures that Rick and Morty share, Rick also has taken a particular interest in teaching Morty life lessons along the way. Rick doesn't want Morty to grow up to be like his father Jerry, and most of their adventures can be viewed as Rick testing Morty. And so, one of the life lessons Rick has taught Morty is how dangerous and challenging life can be. His methods are questionable, to say the least, but this may be how Rick thinks he must act to get through to Morty. In these adventures and life lessons, there is an underlying good intention behind them.
Furthermore, Rick has also shown to be particularly protective over Morty. Maybe that is because Rick is Morty, as a recent theory suggests, but the more realistic explanation is just that he cares about his grandson - and the entire Smith family, for that matter. He's murdered aliens to protect Morty and was even willing to sacrifice himself for Morty in season 2. But, Rick also willingly turned himself over to the Galactic Federation so that the Smith family can go back to their normal lives. He's locked up because of these actions, which is about as selfless of an act Rick has ever done. All of this makes a compelling case for Rick Sanchez being an excellent grandfather to Morty Smith, and hopefully Rick and Morty season 4 will continue to show how this is the case.