Grandparents play a vital role in their grandchildren’s lives and have shown to impact each other in so many ways. Mom and Dad many times use grandparents as caregivers, picking their children up from school and driving them to activities. Others have found themselves as taking over the primary role or even become a sole provider for them due to unforeseen family situations. Sometimes surrogate grandparents that do not have any grandchildren of their own take over this role. More and more grand-families are seen where grandparents are raising the children. Due to this closeness, they form special bonds and feel an unconditional love for each other.
In today’s day in age many family’s have grandparents that have taken over the child-care role for their family. It isn’t uncommon that both parents need to work to be able to live where they do so it is economically beneficial for the grandparents to provide the care for the children.
Sometimes grandparents find themselves as the primary care giver due to unforeseen family circumstances. It could be because their child may be incarcerated or not capable to care for their children due to drug addiction. This has shown to strengthen the bond between the grandparent and grandchild.
Benefits of Having a Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship
1.For grandchildren, just knowing that they can count on their grandma and grandpa gives them an extra layer of security.
2. Having grandparents around helps to alleviate stress in the household. They are always great for providing entertainment, playing games and sharing a good laugh.
3. Grandparents are good role models with lots of experience of their own, because they have practiced with their own children!
4. Grandparents have lots of wisdom and stories that they can share with and pass on to their grandchildren.
5. Because of their role in their grandchildren’s lives, the children not only form an unconditional bond with their parents, but they also form an unconditional bond with their grandparents as well!