The Power of Grandparents

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Few things are more delightful than grandchildren fighting over your lap.

- Doug Larson

Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation.

- Lois Wyse

Some of the world's best educators are grandparents.

- Charles W. Shedd

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.

- Rachel Carson

Everyone needs to have access both to grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full human being.

- Margaret Mead, "Blackberry Winter"

The Power of Grandparents

What Are Grandparents For?

Grandparents are for stories about things of long ago,

Grandparents are for caring about all the things you know.

Grandparents are for rocking you and singing you to sleep,

Grandparents are for giving you nice memories to keep.

Grandparents are for knowing all the things you're dreaming of…

But, most importantly of all, grandparents are for love.

- Author Unknown

Whether providing full-time care or working on a deeply supportive relationship, grandparents will have influence over a longer period of their grandchildren's lives than ever before due to increased longevity and better health. The relationship that you build with your grandchildren will have time to blossom and has the potential to be passed on to more generations during your lifetime.

One of the great contributions a grandparent can make is to teach their grandchildren about their family history -- about the tough times the family faced and the good times it has enjoyed. Grandparents are the library for their grandchildren -- connecting them with the pages of their past. Storytelling can be an excellent way to prepare children to read. Share your knowledge, your love, and your faith in them. Be a part of your grandchild’s everyday world.

Grandparents hold a special place in the hearts and minds of their grandchildren. Their influence is so subtle that we do not notice its strength or duration. It has been well documented in child development literature that reading to children improves early literacy. This is enhanced when it is a person that has a special bond or attachment to the child. Grandchildren learn things from their grandparents they learn nowhere else. How quietly grandparents find their way into the fabric of a grandchild's life, and there they stay...forever!

Practical Advice

by Karen Stephens from Parenting Exchange

What Makes a Grandparent? From the Mouths of Babes

Grandparents: The Bridge Between Generations

Helpful Resources for Grandparents

AARP/Grandparenting
http://www.aarp.org/families/grandparents/

Grandparents Magazine
http://www.grandparentsmagazine.net/

Grandparents’ Web
http://www.cyberparent.com/gran/


	We also invite you to tour our Resource Library.