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The Importance of Grandparents
Not only can grandparents play an important role in a young child's development, but kids who have strong connections to their grandparents are far more likely to grow up to be loving, confident adults.
Parents and grandparents should talk about the unique role that the grandparents will have in a child's life. While grandparents should respect the parent's wishes, parents need to allow the grandparents to create their own identity. The two most important gifts grandparents can give are love and time. How they do it is their decision.
From the book Understanding Children.
The Unique Role of a Grandparent
Different roles grandparents can play include:
- Playmate — Fun-seeking and informal
- Teacher — An example of manners and morals
- Counselor — A wealth of family wisdom
- Confidant — Someone to trust and talk to
- Friend — An imaginative counterpoint to a child's day
- Spiritual Guide — Helping to find the meaning of life
- Mentor — Fostering ambition
- Elder — Showing how to age with dignity
- Role Model — Imparting a strong work ethic
- Nurturer — Being involved and providing help when needed
From the book Understanding Children. |
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Ideas for Getting Involved
Grandparents can have a tremendous influence in the lives of their grandchildren and the kind of people they turn out to be as adults simply by staying involved. Even if great distances separate grandparents and grandchildren, there are many creative ways to have a meaningful and positive impact on a young child's development. |
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Nurture grandchildren. Offer them your time and undivided attention whenever possible. |
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Play and interact with them. Keep up with their interests and engage them in activities they enjoy. |
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Share family history and culture. Tell them about family traditions, religion, and life when you were young. |
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Support children and grandchildren in times of stress. When times are tense — either due to divorce, a move or a new baby — your family needs you most. |
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Nourish grandkids' self-esteem. Show interest in and praise their work and play. |
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Adapt your role. Be flexible to meet the family's changing needs and interests. |
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Talk through your differences to minimize conflict. |
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Respect your adult children's choices in marriage and parenting style. |
Whatever ways you choose, the relationship you build with your grandchildren now will benefit them — and bring joy to you — for years to come.
From the video Grandparenting: Enriching Lives.
How do you think grandparents can connect with their grandchildren?
Your ideas could appear on our site. Send them to Civitas. |
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Grandparents are often uniquely qualified to teach family history. They have first-hand experience, may know older family legends and rituals by heart, and usually have interesting memorabilia, such as the family records, photos and recipes.
Download our directions for fun family history projects that can be done with grandchildren: |
| o | Help grandchildren build a scrapbook of old photos and family memorabilia. |
| o | Take grandchildren to the towns and homes where your family has lived. |
| o | Interview relatives and record them on tape. |
| o | Visit sites that are important to your family's history. |
| o | Keep a journal throughout the years to read with your grandchildren. |
| o | Capture the family history on video. |
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From the Civitas book Understanding Children. |
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