Grand Parents: More than Cookies and Milk
Author : About.com    -   Subject : Grandparenting

Being a Grandparent is one of the special joys of growing older. As one grandmother put it, "It’s like the dessert at the end of a good meal." It’s the only relationship in which people are crazy about each other simply because they’re breathing, says Dr. Arthur Kornhaber of the Foundation for Grandparenting.

Grandparents still supply cookies, bedtime stories, and warm hugs, but today’s grandparents fulfill other roles that are especially important to today’s young families.

Distance, divorce, working mothers all make a difference in Grandparenting in the 90s. Children need the stability, the time and the caring of grandparents more than ever.

"Grandma has time for me"

The majority of today’s families with young children are busier than ever before. When both Mom and Dad are working outside the home, they have to spend evenings and weekends catching up on the chores and errands. Grandparents can offer children in these busy families time to be with adults who can give the children companionship, a listening ear, and, perhaps, a calmer lifestyle. One teenage granddaughter puts it this way, "When I go to Gramma’s house, she takes time to listen to me. She’s always there, and she has time for me."

Across the miles

Many of today’s grandparents must deal with having their grandchildren live at a great distance, rather than down the road or across town. Different methods work for different grandparents. Some methods cost money; others are practically free. The traditional ways of staying in touch include letters, phone calls, and visits. Many families traditionally have children spend a week or so with grandparents during summer vacation.

Other families have several generations take vacations together at a cabin or camp where they can renew ties and enjoy one another’s company. Some grandparents send audio tapes to grandchildren, who in turn, record messages to send back to Grandma and Grandpa.

Other families buy or rent video cameras and share recordings of the grand children in both pictures and sound. Whatever ways you decide to keep in touch, the connection between the generations helps both the young and the old.

So, with Grand Parents Day right around the corner, take this opportunity to let your children's Grand Parents know how much they are loved and appreciated.

Even young children can become involved in giving a small token of their affection for Grandma & Grandpa. For long-distance grandparent relationships, involvement in the gift-giving process will strengthen the the bond between them.

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