The
Joy of Grandparenting
“Where
are you dad?”
“We
got a late start and have about an hour till we get to you,
why?”
“Well
you better hurry. Your grandson heard Gampa was coming and now
we are sitting out on the curb waiting for you to arrive.”
An hour later we found our greeting party on the curb, on the
blanket.
Who
could ask for a better welcome than that? That’s the love
our grandchildren have for us if we are willing to involve ourselves
in their lives; the reason we want to create special memories
with our grandchildren. Our greatest gift to them is our love
and attention. They are the greatest gift we could receive.
In
an age when “Soccer Mom” and “Soccer Dad”
are used as normal terms to describe parenting, we know we are
in a confusion of roles and relationships. Often parents are
scheduling rather than parenting; channeling rather than nurturing.
Our society has enabled some parents to allow others to “coach”
their children into maturity. This may not be the parent’s
choice, but in the driven world we have created, the demands
to make a living are great. But do not despair; there is a solution
that is ancient in its lineage. As an editorial in the Washington
Post by Abigail Trafford describes the plight of today’s
families, she refers to the next two decades as the transition
from baby boomers to grand baby boomers.
As our society becomes more world mixed and other cultures come
to be more prominent, will we hope that we will relearn the
lessons of extended families. Good parenting actually means
extending the safety net of experiences, support, love, learning,
and connection through extended roles of grandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins as found in the traditional cultures throughout
the world.
On this website we hope to explore the role and the pleasures
of grandparenting. Join us in discussions, check out the places
to go, read essays on grandparenting, and share your thoughts.
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