5 things grandparents do for young children
Grandparents can play a variety of important roles in the lives of their adored grandchildren. They can be caregivers, teachers, and playmates depending on how far away they live and other factors. They serve as trusted advisors to their adult children, who are now parents. Grandparents provide regular child care for many families. They may be the primary caregivers for their grandchildren in some cases. Whether grandparents live nearby or communicate from afar, the love and emotional closeness they provide has a significant, positive impact on their grandchild's healthy development.
All of these roles are significant, and there are many other special things grandparents do for their grandchildren, but here are five to recognize:
1. Grandparents provide guidance.
It's a joy to be a parent of a baby or toddler, but it's not always easy. Especially for first-time parents. And because children grow and develop so quickly, parenting routines that work one day may not work the next. When in doubt, parents frequently turn to the internet for answers. However, they trust their own parents (usually their mothers or mothers-in-law) more than friends, pediatricians, or websites for parenting advice.
Grandparents' lived experience and wisdom can be especially helpful and calming in times of parental frustration or panic.
Of course, some advice from grandma or grandpa may contradict what we now know about child development, such as whether or not you can spoil a baby, but their intuition and long-term perspective can be comforting to a parent who isn't sure what to do at times and doesn't want to make mistakes. Grandparents understand that there is no such thing as an ideal parent.
2. Grandparents educate their grandchildren.
Grandparents can bring a special zest to the time they spend with their grandchildren, which helps a child learn and grow. They assist children in learning by playing, talking, and reading with them while paying close attention to them. They also teach more directly by sharing family and cultural traditions and telling stories. Grandparents are also in a unique position to reinforce parental limits and lessons while also listening, wiping away tears, and demonstrating to their grandchildren that they understand.
It's difficult to quantify the impact of young children's special relationship with their grandparents, but studies have shown that having actively involved grandparents can help children grow confidence, cope with stress, and have fewer behavioral issues as they get older.
3. Child care is provided by grandparents.
Many families rely on grandparents for more than just occasional assistance; they rely on grandparents for consistent, dependable child care for their children. According to ZERO TO THREE, one out of every four children under the age of five is cared for by grandparents while their parents work or go to school. The number of children enrolled in formal child care programs is the same.
While many grandparents rise to the occasion, it is not always simple. Approximately half of the grandparents polled express some level of disagreement or tension about approaches to child care, and two out of every five say the job of caregiving is exhausting.
4. Some grandparents are the primary caregivers for their grandchildren.
Many grandparents also assist in the raising of their grandchildren, which adds to both the challenges and the rewards. In Arizona, First Things First funds a variety of programs that assist grandparents in their efforts.
5. Grandparents adore it.
The most important thing grandparents bring to their grandchildren is love. Close, caring relationships with the adults in their lives help babies, toddlers, and preschoolers learn and grow. Grandparents' attention, interaction, and unconditional love (along with parents', of course) helps a young child feel safe and secure. That is exactly what they require for proper brain development.
As a result, a grandparent's love has a real and long-lasting impact on the future of a young child. A close, involved relationship is also beneficial to grandparents, contributing to healthier, happier, and possibly even longer lives, according to research.
Related: 6 Ways to Spend the Day with Grandma
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