Grandparents are just awesome. As a kid growing up, your grandparents are often the ones you get to stay with for fun weekends where they spoil you and perhaps look past some of your minor mistakes. They always make your favourite food, and will often pay you absurd amounts for helping out with the simplest of chores.
As a parent, if you’re lucky enough to have your parents or your in-laws in the same city as you, then they can provide sanity saving breaks, security and act as another set of adults for kids to learn from.
Dashing Mom and I are lucky that her parent’s are in town for six months a year and my mom and her husband are in the city full-time. I honestly don’t know what we would do without them and it turns out the benefits of having grandparents around extend beyond just simple babysitting.
Having Grandparents around makes everyone happier
Dr. Karl Pillemer of Cornell University says that the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is second in emotional importance only to the relationship between a parent and their child. What is perhaps most interesting is that, while it may seem obvious that children benefit from having grandparents around, grandparents also benefit.
A study conducted at Boston College found that “an emotionally close relationship between grandparent and grandchildren is associated with fewer symptoms of depression for both generations.”
And it may be that the old adage “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” is true as another study found that grandparents who are involved in the care of their grandchildren have a 37 percent lower mortality risk than adults of the same age. You can’t ignore those numbers.
The researchers of that study are quick to point out that it doesn’t prove cause and effect, but they do have some theories about their results.
“Further research would be needed to find out what causes the increased life expectancy of caregivers. The researchers offer a number of explanations, such as spending time with grandchildren is a good way for older people to have a sense of purpose, while keeping them physically and mentally active.”
Grandparents are great no matter what your age
It turns out that having your grandparents around isn’t just good for you when you’re a small child. In fact a study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that when grandparents are involved in their adolescent grandkids’ lives, those kids have fewer behaviour problems. This was found to be especially true for at risk kids.
For us, having Clara’s grandparents in the picture has done immeasurable good for her. She is constantly excited to see them and talks about them almost non-stop. It has also allowed us to take much needed breaks at times and if for no other reasons than that I’d like to say THANKS!
I have no doubt in my mind that Clara’s grandparents will continue to be an important part of her life and as she gets older I foresee her desire to spend time with them only increasing.
Are your child’s grandparents involved in their life? How has that helped?
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