Being Good Grandparents – When Intentions Aren’t Enough
By Christine Crosby
This morning in the back yard, I watched woodpecker parents instructing an adolescent offspring in pecking wood. Really. It looks so natural, I just assumed… But doing it right is a life or death matter so naturally, the parents would pass on their skills.
Let me ask…did we go into the marriage experience all by ourselves? Or parenting? Did we figure those out alone or did we, like the woodpecker, benefit from the experience of others?
Being a good grandparent may not be as critical a skill as finding food, but it can have a decisive effect on a child’s joy and an adult’s success in life. The powerful influence of grandparents is documented in many cultures. They may be an indispensable family leader, or the only adult a child trusts.
Nobody sets out to be a bad grandparent, but it happens, and usually with the best of intentions. Most problems involve the relationship with the parents. This changes forever at the moment of the baby’s birth, but what does it change into? Do all the parties recognize the change?
We created the special section of GRAND called My GRANDBaby to answer that and many other questions a new Gigi, Grandpa, Mimi or Paw Paw should be asking.
Six Major Mistakes Grandparents Make
Our natural role models, our own parents and grandparents may not be that much help, as they tend to offer 20th century answers for the 21st century questions we have.
You’ll find My GRANDBaby in every issue and in articles posted on the website. Share it with a new or expecting grandparent, and let’s help the next generation get off to the most perfect start possible.
Best wishes,
Christine
Ps: Meet Cheryl Harbour, Special Editor of My GRANDBaby and the author of Good to Be Grand: Making the Most of Your Grandchild’s First Year.
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