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Grandparenting

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As a child grows up, social, emotional, and family bonds form that endure and last a lifetime. When a daughter or son becomes a parent, his or her parents become grandparents. There may even be great- or great-great-grandparents in the alpha-omega chain of generations within the family. While parents initiate the grandparent role, the parent, grandparent, and grandchild roles are a reciprocal, developmental process in which family members interact and influence each other. Lives and relationships of family members intertwine.

Grandparenthood is commonplace today. Grandparents come in all ages, and from all types of families, socioeconomic levels, and ethnicities. Grandchildren may share three to four decades of life with grandparents, one or two of these decades as an adult. Closer spacing of children and smaller families has resulted in distinct sequencing of the parenting and grandparenting roles. There is more likelihood today than ever before for children to have grandparents and great-grandparents in the family system.

A Grandparent's Role

The influence of the grandparent may be profound. One researcher emphasizes the importance of grandparents simply being there to provide a sense of continuity in a world full of change. Another professional reports research that shows the grandparent-grandchild influence continues across the generations. Kivnick discovered that the relationship with grandparents has a profound influence on the viewpoint a family member may have toward that role two generations later.

By the year 2020, it is predicted that more than 18 percent of the population in the United States will be over age 65 with many persons living well into their nineties. Of the 1980 population over 65, three-fourths were grandparents and almost half were expecting to become great-grandparents. Thus, the role of grandparenting is likely to take on a greater significance for an increased number of people. Grandparenting has the potential for contributing to the quality of life for all family members regardless of age.

When Grandchildren Come to Visit

When grandchildren stay in your home, you have opportunities for leisurely talks and sharing of routine experiences. However, grandchildren visiting in your home can be exhausting unless you take some precautions.

Whether your contributions as a grandparent are large or small, what you do is important. When a close, intimate relationship has been formed between grandparent and grandchild, an attachment is often developed for life. With that attachment comes the experience of being loved and accepted, a sense of security and warmth, a historical sense of self, and the gift of a role model for the future.

References

Kivnick, H.Q. (1982). Grandparenthood: An overview of meaning and mental health. The Gerontologist, 22, 59-66.

Kornhaber, A., and Woodward, K.L. (1981). Grandparents/grandchildren, the vital connection. Garden City, New York: Anchor Press/Doubleday.

Smith, A.K. (1989). Grandparent life satisfaction as related to intergenerational congruence of the grandparent role. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, The Ohio State University, Columbus.

"Being a 'grand' parent," Ohio State University Bulletin, HEG 86-210.

Prepared by

Ann Smith, Ph.D., C.H.E., CFLE
District Specialist
Family and Consumer Sciences
Ohio State University Extension

Jill Eversole Nolan, C.H.E.
District Specialist
Family and Consumer Sciences
Ohio State University Extension