{"id":69869,"date":"2024-03-07T22:03:55","date_gmt":"2024-03-07T15:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alternatech.net\/?p=69869"},"modified":"2024-03-07T22:03:55","modified_gmt":"2024-03-07T15:03:55","slug":"raising-our-kids-near-their-grandparents-is-the-greatest-gift-we-could-ever-give-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/raising-our-kids-near-their-grandparents-is-the-greatest-gift-we-could-ever-give-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising Our Kids Near Their Grandparents Is the Greatest Gift We Could Ever Give Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grandparents are a safe harbor\n
As parents, it\u2019s our job to teach our kids, to mold them, to make sure they know right from wrong. When they don\u2019t quite meet our expectations, it\u2019s our job to correct them. Sometimes, that can make us pretty unpopular with our kids. Sometimes, it can even make them incredibly angry with us, especially if they\u2019re particularly strong-willed kids.\n
While grandparents definitely want our kids to behave and (hopefully) respect us when we have to correct them, they\u2019re not on the giving end of the discipline. So, our kids can go to them when they\u2019re mad at us and work through those feelings. Think of our groundings as the \u201cstorm,\u201d and grandparents as \u201csafe harbor\u201d from it. By letting our kids run over to grandma\u2019s house for an afternoon, it gives everyone a chance to calm down and find perspective.\n
They know just what to say to make our kids feel better\n
As much as we try to build our kids up with compliments and praise, to them we\u2019re not the most reliable source of information. It\u2019s hard to count how many timed we hear, \u201cYou have to say that because you\u2019re my mom.\u201d Like, just because we gave them life means we\u2019re completely incapable of being impartial. The funny thing is, grandparents are pretty biased too! Yet our kids believe it when they say, \u201cEverything will be fine,\u201d or \u201cYou\u2019re perfect just the way you are.\u201d\n
Maybe it\u2019s all those years of wisdom. Perhaps it\u2019s because they mastered the art of parenting when we were little. Maybe it\u2019s just because that have such a soothing voice. Whatever the reason, it seems like grandparents know exactly what to say to make our children feel better about themselves and how to say it so that they believe it. Raising our kids near their grandparents will help us tremendously.\n
Grandparents can stand in for a parent who isn\u2019t present\n
For a single parent- either by choice or by circumstance- grandparents fill a very unique role in their children\u2019s lives. A grandfather, for example, becomes a wonderful male role model for a child who is growing up without a father. While he\u2019s not a replacement for dad, he definitely helps ease the pain of missing an entire half of the parenting equation. The same goes for a grandmother filling in for a missing mom.\n
They act as confidants and sounding boards\n
As much as we would love for our kids to come to us and tell us everything, sometimes they just don\u2019t feel ready to share a secret. Maybe they\u2019re afraid we\u2019ll be mad or won\u2019t understand. Perhaps they haven\u2019t quite worked out how they want to tell us. Grandparents make the best confidants and sounding board during those times.\n
They listen without judgement and offer great advice. If that advice is, \u201cTell your mother,\u201d they give our kids the courage (and the backup) to do so. It\u2019s reassuring to know that our kids can go to a trusted adult with the tough stuff. It\u2019s even more reassuring to know that if that \u201ctough stuff\u201d involves something dangerous, our parents will loop us in.\n
Grandparents help kids connect with the past in a more meaningful way\n
Raising our kids near their grandparents gives them such an awesome opportunity to connect with the past in a way that no history lesson ever could. Even if you happen to have a history-loving kid who enjoys reading about, say, the Great Depression, it\u2019s no substitute for hearing a first-hand account from someone who was actually there.\n
By learning about the very real impact \u2013 good or bad- that past events had on people we love, our children can make more informed decisions when it\u2019s their turn to run the world. Every generation wants the one that comes after them to do better. The only way that\u2019s possible is by learning from the generation that came before.\n
What if raising our kids near their grandparents just isn\u2019t possible?\n
Sadly, sometimes it\u2019s just not possible to live close to our parents. Maybe you and your partner are from different places and you can only live near one set. Perhaps your work takes you to the other side of the world. Don\u2019t worry, your kids can still experience the benefits of being close to their grandparents without being physically near them all of the time. You\u2019ll just have to work a little harder to make it happen.\n
One great way to help cement their bond is through weekly video calls. Thanks to technology that\u2019s easier than ever. During those chats, kids can show off their latest art projects, share major (and even minor) milestones, or just talk about nothing and everything.\n
If possible, try to plan trips to visit your family. Even if it\u2019s just every few years, it gives your parents a chance to see their grandchildren in person. While you\u2019re there, make it all about grandparent\/grandchild time. In other words, don\u2019t plan a bunch of outings with your kids. Instead, plan a few for you to do alone or with your partner. That way, kids have some one-on-one time with their grandparents.\n
Throughout the rest of the year, make a point to talk about your parents. Tell your kids stories. Show them pictures. Help them write letters to or make cute crafts for grandma and grandpa. Maybe even keep a special memory book filled with things your kids want to ask or tell their grandparents next time they see them.\n
As long as you take the time to really help your children connect with your parents, their bond will be just as strong whether they live across the street or across the world. Of course, if given the opportunity, raising our kids near their grandparents is the best. Trust me, none of you will regret it.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Grandparents are a safe harbor As parents, it\u2019s our job to teach our kids, to mold them, to make sure they know right from wrong. When they don\u2019t quite meet our expectations, it\u2019s our job to correct them. Sometimes, that can make us pretty unpopular with our kids. Sometimes, it can even make them incredibly\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":69870,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Grandparents are a safe harbor As parents, it\u2019s our job to teach our kids, to mold them, to make sure they know right from wrong.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[642],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-69869","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moral-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/If-youre-lucky-enough-to-still-have-grandparents-visit-them.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69869","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69869"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69869\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69869"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69869"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inovatestory.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69869"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}