DR. KORNHABER: CONNECTING THE GENERATIONS PIONEER
The following is from The Life Writer blog. Please click here for the original version:
Dr. Kornhaber is our hero.
… Seriously.
He is a physician, psychiatrist, researcher, medical writer, and the Founder and President of the Foundation for Grandparenting – a leading authority (and pioneer) on how vitally important the connection is between grandparents and grandchildren.
Connecting the three generations (grandparent, grandchild, and parent) is extremely beneficial to all, and a big part of the reason why we are so passionate about life story writing.
It connects the generations and benefits everyone.
Dr. Kornhaber has written many books on the subject, including Grandparents/Grandchildren, The Grandparent Guide, The Grandparent Solution, and Between Parents and Grandparents (all available on Amazon under Arthur Kornhaber, M.D.).
Dr. Kornhaber summarizes the importance of the three-generation connection:
“Nature has made it so that every time a child is born, a grandparent is born too. The new grandparent inherits the privilege of loving, nurturing, teaching, and protecting all in the family who came before.
Society needs to honor this truth and to create a culture that facilitates the application of such “Grandparent Power”–love, wisdom, perspective, and selflessness—to the benefit of family and society.
Grandparenting is an ageless function and not a static role. For example, consider the radical social and biological changes of the past decades.
Longevity has given us a new, longer-lived generation of great-grandparents, afforded first-time grandparents an expanded period of health and vitality, and, in blended families, expanded the roles of step-grandparents.
Social gains in understanding, support, and compassion for the LGBT families have created the first generation of grateful grandparents, parents of LGBT children who had previously surrendered the thoughts of ever becoming a grandparent.
Grandparent Laws, establishing the importance of this role in society, are constantly being re-examined and adapted to changing circumstances.
Technology has helped long-distance “Cybergrandparents,” maintain “vital connections” with their grandchildren over distance via telecommunications, etc.
Grandparent Media organizations raise consciousness about the importance of grandparenting and teach about the complexities of the role in today’s times.
Although a lot has been done, there is a lot to do to see that every child has a loving and dedicated grandparent, and every parent has a dedicated grandparent in their corner as well
As little Billy, age eight said when he drew a picture of his family. “My family, well, I’m at the top, and my parents are under me, and my grandparents are under me and my parents…they are there to catch us if we fall…”
It is up to us, to make sure that society fits Billy’s picture.”
