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Grandparents Are Models: Good or Bad
by Dr. Gary Chapman
In America there are about seventy million grandparents - and the number is on the rise! Many modern grandparents are not necessarily "built in babysitters" for their grandchildren. With increased quality of health care in today's generations, many senior adults are on cruise ships and attending Broadway plays.
Even with this in mind, my experience is that most grandparents want to have a relationship with their grandchildren. After all, grandparents are the family historians. They get to pass on to the grandchildren all those stories about what it was like "when I was a child."
If grandparents have good marriages, they can serve as models for their grandchildren. They can offer security and stability in times of change. They can give unconditional love, kindness, and understanding. They can listen as non-judgmental counselors. They have the opportunity to become the grandchild's personal cheerleader.
But grandparents who are fighting each other or who have succumb to a lifeless, apathetic marriage have little to offer as a model for healthy relationships.
"Please don't be what I have become," is often their message.
Isn't it time to give a little thought to the value of your grandchildren, and to consider if there are any changes that you need to make to be a good grandparent?
Article written by Dr. Gary Chapman. Based on the book, How to Really Love Your Adult Child by Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Ross Campbell. Published by Moody Publishing. For a complete listing of Dr. Chapman's books and resources, click here.
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