Grandparenting Class

Parental Changes

Working mothers, divorce, single parenthood and distance has all made a difference in grandparenting roles over the last decade. Many of these challenges have increased the need for grandparents to provide stability, time and caring support to children. With many dual-working families and all the activities children are now a part of, free time between the parents and children is usually very limited. That is where grandparents can be helpful and fill in with all the "extras"—including extra attention, love, stimulation and connections. When parents are feeling stressed, grandparents can provide some respite from the demands of children and parenting.

If you and your children have conflicting views on childrearing, remember, you are to support the parents in their decisions. Comments can easily be seen as interference or criticism. In the same sense, any negative comments of the grandchild can be seen as a ploy to hurt the parent. Remember, one of the major differences between generations is about "who" is the expert. When you were raising your children, information and help was given more freely. Now, health care professionals are considered the expert and often grandparenting may be looked upon as "old-fashioned." Let the parents make some mistakes on their own and allow them to grow from these mistakes.

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