Relationships-A Grandparent's Role

In the hustle and bustle of today's modern world, many grandparents aren't fully sure of what their role is where the grandchildren are concerned. This problem is compounded by high divorce rates too unfortunately, because some grandparents struggle to find their role when the grandchildren end up living with a mother or father who isn't directly related to the grandparents in question.

In the end though, the grandparent's role in a grandchild's life is more important now that ever. In fact, it's because of the high divorce rates and the busy, hectic lifestyles adults lead that grandparent's roles are so important. Children need stability in their lives. They need to know that someone who loves and cares about them is always on hand no matter what happens at home, at school, or with their mom and dad.

When Mom and Dad start fighting, split up, or divorce, the grandparent's role becomes ever more important because the child's life is turned upside down in what seems like an instant to them. They become uncertain of everything, sometimes even blaming themselves for the divorce, or feeling like Mom and Dad are fighting because of something they did.

Another reason the grandparents are so important in a child's life is because if divorce does happen, the children can end up having even more upheavals all happening at the same time. They may move to a new home for instance, or suddenly become latch key kids because a previously stay at home parent now needs to go to work.

A grandparent can have many different roles in their grandchild's life though, whether the parents are still together or not. Mom's and Dad's tend to be very busy and distracted with getting their lives in order. They may have careers that are still growing, or they're struggling financially, or they have other worries and concerns that often make it difficult to pay as much attention to a child as they'd like. This time in their lives is usually quite stressful in fact, because they're juggling home, family, career, and marriage.

Grandparents however, tend to be much more relaxed and stable in their lives. They've had much more time and experience in the world, and this wisdom allows them to slow down and really enjoy life. Grandparents often don't have the same financial struggles and learning process that parents do, their homes are paid for and their incomes have stabilized too. All of the standard pressures that go along with living the "up and coming" portion of their lives have already been set aside, and they're now much more interested in simply enjoying the pleasures of life.

This stability and change of focus allows them to present a much more grounded, experienced view towards the world, and this in turn allows them to be a "port in the storm" resource for their grandchildren.

As a grandparent then, your role is fairly simple: : You're there to love your grandchildren, spend time with them when they need company or attention, help them learn new skills and experiences, and provide a balanced, nonjudgmental ear when they need a confidant.