The pandemic has put a stop to nervous grandparents pacing the waiting room. So, what is the job of a grandparent? It depends on several factors, but mostly it comes down to asking the new parents what they want and trying your best to fulfill their needs
Are you a virtual grandparent? With COVID-19 safety precautions pushing communications online, it’s important to connect with family and friends using technology to avoid feelings of isolation and sadness. Fortunately, Caribu has helped bridge the gap for many families. Caribu provides a meaningful tool for grandparents to connect with their grandchildren at a safe social distance. With each Caribu video-call, grandparents and grandchildren can pick books to read, pages to color, and games to play in an interactive playdate. It’s a magical way to stay in touch and share in the everyday lives of family near and far.
Even if you’re an expert who has written 13 bestsellers on parenthood, your adult sons and daughters will assume you know nothing about childrearing. Your advice and opinions will not be welcome, unless directly solicited. Tread lightly.
Across the country, multigenerational living situations — whether spurred by the coronavirus pandemic or already in place — are making grandparents starring figures in family life. They’re caring for grandchildren as parents work from home, helping with remote education, doing chores like cooking and yard work, and reading bedtime stories. The result is often a deeper relationship with members of the household.
Are your kids or grandkids looking for things to do this summer? Besides being a fun project, encouraging kids to prepare and/or cook food can be a great opportunity to teach them life skills such as kitchen and food safety, tips about nutrition/health, hygiene, and even math. It can also give kids a sense of value, accomplishment, and maturity as they enjoy the reward of eating the delicious finished product. Over time as their skills improve, they might even be timesavers for you in making food for the family.
Being a grandparent is one of the greatest joys of life, but even the best nanas and pop-pops may find themselves struggling with how to handle the questions, anxiety and other emotions coming from their grandchildren as they take in the world right now. As elementary school children express anxiety about the COVID-19 pandemic, feel the associated boredom and also absorb what they can of the complex discussions of institutional racism, law enforcement policy and white privilege, there are bound to be a lot of questions.
When it comes to helping your grandchildren get ahead financially, there’s a lot more to consider than a check in their birthday card.
In order to stay healthy and active as a grandparent, your joints, muscles, and immune system need to be prepped, primed, and protected. This is especially true at the moment, as many grandparents are helping babysit little ones while their own children are busy working remotely.
One of the best things, to my way of thinking, about becoming a senior citizen is being a grandparent. We get to see Anthony several times a week in the summer, and pre-pandemic, we would take him on vacations, and to local museums, the aquarium, the bounce house and playgrounds. Our enjoyment was always enhanced by watching him having so much fun.