Grandpas help shape who we are, from our personalities and
passions to our skills and our sense of place in the world. Above all, they
teach us what values are all about and what it takes to actually place in
practice those values.
Grandpas play many roles when it comes to their
grandchildren: babysitters, nurses, caregivers, playmates, friends and even
substitute parents and teachers are just a few hats they can wear. Their unique
position of trust allows them to help nurture and shape their grandchildren’s
lives.
One of the most important things that grandpas do for their
grandchildren is to spend time with them. During their time with grandpas,
children learn important lessons that will remain with them all their lives.
While grandpas love to shower their grandchildren with gifts and goodies, the
greatest gift they give is their time; time that offers a wonderful opportunity
to pass on core values, beliefs and skills to their grandchildren.
Teach Kids to Love
Reading
One of the most rewarding things grandpas can do with their
grandchildren is to read to them. Reading to young children improves their
cognitive and language skills and improves their reading comprehension. Even
before the kids learn to talk, they enjoy sitting in grandma’s lap to look at
picture books. Use this special time to teach words, colors, letters and
objects and tell stories about the pictures. All are ways to teach children to
love books and to love reading.
Giving children books that are interesting and fun to read
is also a way to encourage them. Grandpas can take the kids to the library for
story time or help them choose their own books, something that busy working
parents might not have time to do.
Teach Kids a Skill
Grandpas can share their knowledge of woodworking, mechanics,
gardening, and sports by teaching the basics to their grandsons and
granddaughters. Grandsons who make their first birdhouse or granddaughters who
learn to change the oil in their first car will always remember where they
learned how to do it. It has even been
fun to watch my oldest daughter Jennifer out do me in the landscaping and care
of her yard!
Teach Kids about
Family
Grandpas are a treasure store of family history.
Grandchildren will love to hear stories about their parents as young children
or about their grandparent’s lives in the “olden days”. Even very young
children enjoy looking at old family photo albums, and this is a great time to
tell them some family history.
My own grandchildren always loved looking at old photo albums,
and still do. As they got older, they wanted to know more about the family
history, and especially liked stories about their parents’ escapades. Which frankly, I still enjoy to tell.
Teach Kids Good
Values
Grandpas often spend blocks of quality time with their
grandchildren, and can have a deep influence on their grandchild’s values. They
can help teach their grandchildren respect for each other and for other people
by listening and responding to them respectfully. They can teach their
grandchildren to tell the truth and to act honorably, to be kind to other
people and to animals. By their words and actions, grandpas teach their
grandchildren tolerance and empathy for people who are different from
themselves.
Time Flies Way TOO
Fast so Teach Your Grandchildren Something Today
I have always been telling my kids that they should enjoy their
children while they were young because the time went by so quickly. I never
fully appreciated it until I was a grandpa, and I saw how quickly my
grandchildren went from infants to college graduates.
As a grandpa, I came to understand that there is a narrow
window of time to do certain things. The years that we enjoy with grandchildren
while they are young are precious and fleeting, and we can make the most of
this precious time by teaching our grandkids about the things we love, the
things we love to do, about our values and our families. Why not teach your
grandchild something special the next time you spend time together? I know I will!
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