Being a grandparent is one of the best parts of adulthood. I’ve heard friends of mine who are grandparents say it’s the fun of having kids all over again, but you get to send them home. Not that they don’t love them to pieces.
One of the best things about being a grandparent is the things you can pass down to your grandchildren. Grandchildren need some things from their grandparents that they can’t get from their parents. Things like sharing family history, teaching family traditions, or learning unique skills. Here are some things you can offer your grandchildren to help strengthen your bond with them.
1. Wisdom
They say with age comes wisdom, and this is true for grandparents. You have lived longer and have lots of wisdom to share. Sit down with your grandchildren and talk for a while. The wisdom you share will be golden to them.
2. Guidance
Sadly, we live in an age where parental guidance comes few and far between. Therefore, today’s kids need it to come from you. They need someone to guide them in life and help them find a sense of direction. They need someone to set boundaries for them because it will help them thrive. Your guidance will make a world of difference for them.
3. Love
In today’s society, many parents are too self-involved and don’t pay enough attention to their kids. I know this because I saw it all the time while I worked in daycare. I also saw many parents who genuinely loved their kids and would be involved at drop-off and pick-up times. The bottom line is that our kids need to know they are loved, and you have a crucial role in ensuring that. Tell your grandkids you love them as often as you can. It will mean more to them than you know, whether or not they have a healthy home life.
4. Affection
This ties in with the topic of love above. Our children don’t get enough affection, and it shows. I could always tell the ones who didn’t get enough affection at home because they would always hug me. Give your grandchildren as much affection as you can within their boundaries.
5. To Have Fun
This one is important. Have fun with your grandkids. There are things they can do at their grandparents’ house that they could never do at home. Staying up late, eating more sweets than usual, cookies for breakfast, etc. Plan fun outings with them, like going to the movies, the park, or hiking. Make memories with them to last a lifetime.
6. Sharing Life Lessons
You have lived a lot of life and have learned many life lessons. Share them with your grandchildren. This could be anything from walking your own path, taking care of your health early in life, or being kind to people. Tell them about times when you learned a lesson and when you didn’t and what it cost you.
7. Discipline
This is big. The lack of discipline with kids in our society is appalling. Therefore, they need this from you. Kids need boundaries, and discipline teaches them right from wrong and what those boundaries are.
8. Sharing of Family History
Kids need to know where they came from; family history is a great way to share it with them. You can share with them either through stories and pictures, filling out a book about your family history, or starting a search on Ancestry.com. This is something that may be interesting to older children, so ask them which way they would like to learn. Some kids learn by seeing, some by hearing, and some by doing (helping you type names in Ancestry).
9. Sharing of Faith
Sharing your faith with your grandchildren is vital, and you can do this in different ways. With younger children, read them Bible stories designed for their age group. When middle age children visit, consider buying them a children’s Bible and inviting them to read it with you. Buy a Bible aimed at tweens/teens, highlight your favorite passages, and write notes of encouragement in the margins that you think will resonate with them for older children. They will treasure it forever.
10. Teaching the Keeping of Family Traditions
Family traditions go way back, and chances are you know about some that even your kids don’t, so share these with your grandchildren. Take them to the same Christmas tree farm where you took your kids to get a tree. Make a batch of Great Aunt Grace’s famous spaghetti sauce. Give them a binder of family recipes.
11. Financial Wisdom
In a society where kids and tweens/teens learn that it’s all about them and what they want and to spend as much money as they can, you are a voice of reason. You didn’t get through life by blowing a bunch of money, so share your financial wisdom with them.
This is so much more than just learning how to budget. Talk to them about how to save money, how you bought a house, how you saved for retirement, etc. Also, talk to them about the dangers of credit cards, how to apply for a loan, etc. As they get older, they will appreciate your wisdom and be able to apply what they can in today’s market.
12. Learning a Skill
If you know how to do something, teach your grandkids. Learning things like how to bake and/or cook, basic car mechanics (oil changes, how to change a tire, etc.), and how to fix household things (plumbing, electric work, etc.) will make a world of difference when they are older.
Life skills are also important, so teach them things like effective communication beyond texts and emails, interpersonal skills (how to manage conflicts, how to have leadership skills, etc.), and good decision-making.
13. Toys and Other Stuff
Okay, this isn’t something grandchildren “need,” but it’s something grandparents love to do, which is buy things for their grandchildren.
However, parents need to put it into perspective. Teach your children not to expect their grandparents to buy them things but to be grateful and appreciative when they do.
14. Support
It is important for today’s kids to know that they are loved and supported in the things they do. Let them know you support their dreams and goals. Let them know no matter what happens, they are loved. Tell them it’s okay to make mistakes and give examples of where you have made them in life.
Let them know you are proud of them, that they can do anything they put their minds to, that they should trust their feelings about people or situations, and that they can always talk to you about anything. Our kids live in a very competitive world where they are very mean and cut-throat with each other. They need the support of adults in their lives like never before.
You can give and impart many great things to your grandchildren from your many years of living. The next time you see them, take time to find out what they need from you today.