As you know, our grandkids watch us closely—more so than they listen to what we say. Their eyes are always on us, taking in the subtle things we do, the choices we make, and the actions we take.
As painful and unfair as it is at times, we must keep loving those little miracles we call grandkids. Despite the challenges and hardships life throws our way, the unconditional love we offer our grandchildren becomes a source of strength and resilience.
Please consider your way to connect with your Grands. It may or may not be through reading, but find what they are interested in and immerse yourself in it. The rewards are breathtaking.
I want to turn the narrative to the number one term in all litigation” the best interest of the child”. How do we get there from “He said, She said” in divorce court proceedings?
I am a firm believer in the goodness of folks, especially Grandparents, given the right information. I am not naive enough to think that there are no bad actors, but my interaction with thousands of grandparents has informed me that it is mostly misperceptions and lack of knowledge that cause complications in extended families.
You may then ask what the problem is. One answer is something I wrote in my book, “The reality of life is that it is complicated. The reality of family is that it is a multiple of complicated. The reality of extended family is that it is exponentially complicated”.
Now, we are faced with how to be in this new world. I don’t know about you, but I ask my grandkids for lots of help with my iPhone. I find ways to communicate with them that they prefer because I plan to do all in my power to stay in their lives as much as I can.
Raising grandkids truly takes a team effort, and one of the unexpected rewards is the opportunity to learn something new along the way. It doesn’t take much to move from just talking with them to contributing to their enthusiasm about a subject.
I am just telling you that the research is clear, it is incumbent upon you as Grandparents to find a way to operate within the structure of your extended family if you desire to maintain Lasting Meaningful Connections with your Grandchildren. There is simply no upside for you or your Grandkids to wish things were different.