A grandparent’s role is an important part of your child’s life. Children feel that a grandparent is someone who will listen to them, and accept what they do without question. Grandparents are supposed to appreciate everything that their grandchildren do, without being critical. Grandparents relish this role. They can enjoy your children without taking on the role of disciplinarian. Indulge them. Grandparents are a release valve for the many pressures in your child’s life. They are an important part of your child’s well being.
I was a single parent. My husband passed away when my daughter was young. I worked long hours and was under a lot of stress. My emotions were caught up in everything she did. My role as a grandparent allows me to enjoy and love my grandsons without being responsible for their every need. It is a love that is given and returned unconditionally.
This situation can cause stress on parents who are caught in the middle of the child/grandchild relationship, especially if their views on child rearing differ. Parents may feel that the children are being spoiled or confused by the different views between themselves and the grandparent. Never fear. Children can easily decipher the difference between the two.
Children view parents as the number one caregiver in their lives. They see grandparents as a comfort zone and research shows that grandparents are a positive influence in your child’s life.
Studies have found that grown adults who had or have a close relationship with their grandparents class themselves as lucky. I am among that group. I was raised on a farm in southern Ontario. My maternal grandparents lived next door and I saw them on a daily basis. My grandmother was a big influence in my life. Even though she’s been gone for many years, I still remember her wise words and catch myself repeating them to my grandsons. My grandmother was one of the most important people in my life during my childhood. I would do anything she asked and listened to her more closely than I did my own mother. There is something special about a grandmother.
Grown adults who have been physically and emotionally separated from grandparents but still feel attached are often saddened by the separation. It seems as if a part of them has been torn away.
Research shows that grown adults who never experienced a relationship of any kind with grandparents feel that they’ve missed something in life and indeed they have. The presence or absence of a grandparent makes a profound impact on a child’s life.
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