Relationships with Grandparents

I was very fortunate growing up to have my grandparents live close to me and be very active in my life. Even now, one of my grandmothers has a designated day that she calls to check in on me. I appreciate these special relationships! I want my children to have the benefit of having a close relationship with their grandparents the same way I do.

Allowing your children to have a close relationship with their grandparents is beneficial to your children and to your parents. Grandparents provide love, patience, fun, and wisdom. Yes, grandparents tend to spoil your children, but you can set up healthy boundaries if needed. In turn, having a close relationship with their grandchildren, grandparents can experience a boost in brain function, less likely to experience depression, and increase their lifespan.

How to Foster a Close Grandparent/Grandchild relationship:

Visit with them or ask them to visit you. Invite grandparents to your child’s sporting events, school plays, or award ceremonies. Sometimes, it’s hard for grandparents to get out and about, so plan special days for you to go see them. Take a board game or pictures to share with them. Your parent and your child will look forward to this visit.
Technology can be good (in this case). When grandparents live in different states or even different countries it’s hard to visit very often. So, set up a designated day to call or Facetime each week. We got our parents and grandparents a Nixplay Digital Frame where we can upload pictures from our phone straight to their picture frame so that they can see what our family is up to—this was a big hit!
Go old school. Let your children write letters to their grandparents and mail them off. What kid doesn’t love receiving mail? They will create a special bond through their pen pal.
Teach them. You can ask your parent to teach your child a special skill they have like baking, sewing, fishing, or carpentry. Or you can even ask your child to teach your parent something new like a game, how to play a sport, or something they learned in school. As they learn together they will connect.
Learn about the past. Ask your parents to share family history with your children. They can learn about their family tree, interesting stories, and appreciation for where they came from. You might even learn something yourself.

Think about when you were little, did you anticipate your visits with your grandparents? Or if your grandparents weren’t around, did you long for that relationship? Grandparents are such valuable people to children, but children are also valuable to grandparents. So, do what you can to help foster that relationship.

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