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Grandparents can have a huge impact on the lives of their grandkids. Having lived for a much longer time, they have a lot of life experience that they can enrich and brighten up the lives of their grandkids with. It's the perfect way for children to learn essential values and attitudes towards life in a fun way.
In many ways, grandparents are natural mentors to their grandchildren. In their many years, they have amassed a lot of wisdom, fine-tuned their talents, and acquired several skills and interests that they can pass on to their grandchildren.
Here are some of the things that grandkids can learn from their grandparents:
1. Life Skills
The position of trust that grandparents hold in the lives of their grandchildren allows them to shape and nature their grandkids in ways that parents can't. Plus, most grandparents enjoy spending time with their grandkids. This gives them a lot of time and a unique opportunity to teach their grandkids important life lessons that will help them throughout their lives.
The experience and wisdom that grandparents have are what make them great for this job. Because they care about their grandkids, they will be mindful of how they impart this knowledge, for example by watching their tone when teaching and delivering their message in an assertive manner.
Some important life skills they can teach include conflict resolution, empathy, problem-solving skills, home economics, and so on.
2. Family History
Knowing your family history is important because it'll help you have a better understanding of who you are and where you come from. Grandparents are an important source of this information.
By teaching their grandkids about their roots, they can help establish confidence and self-acceptance in their grandkids. They can also pass down family culture and traditions. This usually helps shape a person's individuality, decision-making, and personality.
Above all else, passing down the family history and traditions also makes the traditions available for future generations.
3. Patience
One of the most important values children can learn from their grandparents is patience. Grandparents are always more than ready to make time for their grandkids. They are also the epitome of taking things slow. Patience is an important life lesson that will help the kids grow into well-balanced adults.
As a parent, it may be difficult to cater to all the emotional needs of your children when you are also busy trying to put food on the table and maintain a roof above their heads. Grandparents, however, have more time on their hands, and with their extra patience, they can help a child overcome a lot. In the process, they get to teach their grandkids how to be patient and how best to handle their emotions.
4. New skills and hobbies
There are plenty of skills that grandparents may have acquired while growing up that can then be passed down to their grandkids. Everything from farming, to sewing, to art, to woodwork. Most of these skills are not taught to kids today but they are still very essential skills.
The best part is that some of these skills can also become hobbies, such as gardening and crafts. Hobbies are important to children because they give them a purpose and a way to do something they enjoy.
5. Morals
Grandparents can also teach their grandkids the values they have learned throughout their lives. Morals are based on life experiences and the knowledge and understanding of acceptable behavior. Grandparents are the best teachers of this since they have had years of experience in trying to understand what it means to be a decent person.
Also, they grew up in a time when good manners were expected of every child. They can teach their grandkids how to be respectful to their elders and how to be grateful for what they have instead of getting worked up over the things they do not have.
6. How to tell stories
Grandparents have decades worth of experience in storytelling. They can teach their grandkids the art of delivering their stories in a captivating way. The best part is that these stories could be about anything; from bedtime stories to recounting events in their childhood.
Grandparents can teach their grandkids how to set the scene of the narrative, verbalize the dilemma in the story, deliver a captivating rising action and an exciting climax, reassure the audience with falling actions, and then end the story with a resolution.
In the process, their grandkids will learn that listening to other people can be enjoyable and that words can be thrilling. They will also learn how to capture an audience and leave them mesmerized by their oratory skills.
This skill will help them a lot in life, especially when they need to effectively deliver information.
7. How to write letters
With the development of texts, video calls, and emails, the art of letter writing is slowly dying. Grandparents can teach their grandkids how to write letters or postcards and how to mail them. Since they grew up in a period when writing letters was a popular form of communication, they are the best teachers for this.
8. Humor
Grandparents can also teach their grandkids jokes and pranks. This is one of the ways grandkids can bond with their grandparents. Being around their grandkids often reminds grandparents of their younger days, and this is entertaining for both of them.
Another important thing they can teach their grandchildren is how to react when they are teased by their peers or other family members. This will help the kids avoid unnecessary conflicts in the future.
9. Importance of family
Grandparents hold the family together. They are usually the main reason why extended families meet. They are the core of the family.
When the whole family comes together, grandchildren learn the importance of family. This, in turn, results in a stronger sense of belonging among the grandkids.
Final Thoughts
The value of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren cannot be understated. When they interact with their grandkids, everyone's lives become enriched and both grandkids and grandparents are left with priceless and unforgettable memories!
