Grandparents Enrich Lives

Celebrate Grandparent's Day on September 8, 2013

In a study by Jeremy Yorgason, et al. published in The Journal of Research on Adolescence  in 2011 researchers were able to link emotional involvement between children 10-14 years and their grandparents to more prosocial behaviors. This study measures the positive influence grandparents can have on their grandchildren's lives. According to a report published by MetLife Mature Market Institute Study on Grandparents in 2012 grandparents listed honesty, good behavior, self-sufficiency, higher education and good health habits as values they wanted to pass on to their grandchildren.

Not all grandparents live near a grandchild, or near all of their grandchildren. The MetLife study on grandparents revealed that while 59% of grandparents live less than 50 miles away from at least one grandchild, 39% have a grandchild living over 500 miles away. How can grandparents who live a great distance from a grandchild stay emotionally involved with their grandchildren and pass down their values?

• Begin by keeping in touch with your grandchildren's parents. They can fill you in on the latest stories, interests, schedules, lessons, friends, etc. This will give you some insight to help you connect more closely with your grandchild over a great distance. 
• Set aside a regular time to communicate with each of your grandchildren. The MetLife study listed the phone as the top way grandparent's communicate over a distance. Also consider how your grandchild prefers communicating and incorporate that method as well. For many adolescents this may be texting and Facebook. Video calls, like Skype, are a great method for communicating with grandchildren of all ages because it allows face to face time, practice picking up on facial expressions and body language as well as hearing the natural intonations of voice- something missing. 
• Try to find a shared interest for each of your grandchildren. If you and your grandchild enjoys reading, select a book to read separately and discuss the book together. For younger children you can record yourself reading one of their favorite books and they can follow along to your voice.
• Send real items in the mail. Mail can be very exciting for children giving them a very tangible surprise they can keep. Mail a letter, a joke, a picture, and even a homemade treat or homemade item as a surprise. If any of your grandchildren are "collectors" be on the look-out for a new addition to their collection. 
• Be sure to schedule a visit to their house at least once a year and encourage them to visit your home. Visits on either end really allow for a deeper look into a person's daily life and allows more visual memory input when communicating later. If you are talking about something you saw in the park, they can envision the park in their mind while you tell your story. 

Send a secret letter with clues about how to reveal the message.

Grandparents have a great deal of life experience and wisdom which is much easier to share over time through the closeness of a relationship, be that near or far.