How Important Are Grandparents In The Lives Of Children?
Last month I asked readers to share their "silver linings" during COVID time, and the response was heartening, especially as it relates to family. Many answers chronicled more time with family members and how having that time has led to reconnection and improved relationships.
Some families have been fortunate to have generations isolating together, and many grandparents and their adult children have expressed their appreciation for this opportunity. While it isn't without its challenges, it can also be a win-win for everyone. The family's children especially have a lot to gain from these arrangements. Research shows that there are many benefits for the entire family when children have frequent contact with grandparents.
Grandparents offer another layer of support that has proven even more critical during times such as these. Their experience, wisdom, and influence bolster families in good times and bad. Not surprisingly, 9 out of 10 participants in research studies about the importance of contact with another generation cite their relationship with their parents' parents as an important influence in their lives.
With all the demands of distance learning and working from home, grandparents providing much needed inexpensive childcare improves every member of the family's quality of life. They are providing parents a much-needed break from the twenty-four-seven responsibilities of child-rearing. In addition, research shows that strong relationships between teens and their grandparents correlate with less depression and anxiety in both groups.
Studies also show that frequent contact with grandparents gives children a much-needed connection to their history and identity. Storytelling and trips down memory lane with grandma and grandpa enrich the lives of children cognitively and emotionally. While young children's understanding of time is still evolving, hearing about the past through their elders' words helps them begin to grasp the continuum of life and their part in it. Though this may be subtle at first, over time, it delivers a powerful and positive message.
As a grandparent myself, I can attest that living with my granddaughter during the Spring lockdown was an absolute blessing for both of us. My four-year-old granddaughter Alma's optimism and sunny disposition, always brightened even the darkest times during the epidemic. Her resilience and easy adaptation to mask-wearing and social distancing was inspiring.
I am aware of a special connection with my granddaughter, but I was tickled when I heard about the following exchange she had with my daughter. When I was unusually absent from breakfast one morning several months into the lockdown, she asked my daughter where I was; my daughter explained that I had gone to a meeting.
My granddaughter paused for a moment then said, "well ... can you pretend to be her?"
