What does being a grandparent mean to you?

There is a myth about being a grandparent that says your job is to undermine the parents, to spoil the kids rotten, or even to fill them up with sugar and then give them back to their parents. While all of these might be perks, there are by no means what it’s like to be a grandparent.

Of course, there is no 100 per cent tried and true method for being a perfect grandparent and every situation is going to be different. The best advice is to enjoy the time that you have with the grandkids. Your time with them is going to be something that they treasure for a lifetime just like you treasure the memories of yours.

Little kids most of the time can’t grasp that technology and the world weren’t always exactly how it is right now so tales of when you were a kid, as well as tales about the family’s history, are going to be better stories than anything found in a book.

Helping the grandkids get their hands dirty in the work shop or the kitchen, passing on those amazing handmade creations that they won’t learn in their computer games or cartoons. Allowing them to see how things are made from raw materials helps them learn patience and confidence. Plus, getting dirty in the garden is always fun no matter what age you are.

A quote attributed to Charles and Ann Morse says “The history of our grandparents is remembered not with rose petals but in the laughter and tears of their children and their children’s children. It is into us that the lives of grandparents have gone. It is in us that their history becomes a future.”

You are the gatekeeper of the history of your family and by sharing stories, fun, and love with your grandchildren you are ensuring that it lives on in them for them to pass on to their grandchildren one day. You have to feel great about that.

What is your favourite part of being a grandparent? What advice do you give to others who are going to become grandparents for the first time?