Print
this page
Email
this page Newsletters - The International Year of the Family
West Indies - Grandparenting
Perhaps the topic - grandparenting - is so dear to me because at the age of two my parents gave me over to my grandparents who were responsible for my upbringing. Looking back over my life with them, I refuse to agree with the popular saying “Grandparents spoil children”. I saw them as co-trainers with my parents as they did not go contrary to the discipline administered by them and which was so evident in the lives of my brothers and sisters. At the time I marvelled at the abundance of love and care exhibited by my grandparents, for my brothers and sisters were given equal treatment when they visited.
It is true that grandparents of yesteryear were aged fifty years and upwards, whereas grandparents today are younger and many are still actively engaged at the workplace.
Also for many, grandparenting has become a burden because they have to fulfil the dual role of being grandparent and parents - eg where parents have died from AIDS and where marriages have broken down. Many who thought they would enjoy retirement have had their dreams shattered.
Whatever the situation, we should seize every opportunity to interact with our grandchildren. I thank God for the opportunity to pass on some of the positive things I inherited from my grandparents and which have remained with me forever. Here are some of them:
- Pray for and with them.
- “I love you” must be said to them often.
- When they know they are wrong help them to apologise.
- Instill in them the joy of knowing the Lord and read and tell them Bible stories.
In this Year of the Family, I pray and hope that grandparents would try to stay connected with their grandchildren and so help them develop into well-rounded adults.
Top
