Some grandparents think that they are real parents to their grandchildren. Some others did not care for their grandchildren at all. Do you have parents who do not involve your children? Then you must follow some tips to get them involved with your children.
Your or your husband’s parents might be living far away from you and come occasionally for visits. Your kids need a great bond with their grandchildren. This attachment will be beneficial for both your kids and their grandparents.
This article discusses the benefits of grandparent-grandchild relationship. It presents the ways to handle uninvolved grandparents.
Benefits of Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship:
If your child is in the world of love and wisdom offered by their grandparents here are a few benefits that they get:
1. Children will know the value of relationships:
Children are most likely to get the habits and behavior from their parents. The children who spend time with their grandparents are likely to get to know the traditions and cultures from their grandparents.
2. Grandchildren make grandparent happy:
Grandparents will enjoy the benefits of their bond. It is well known that the grandparents who have attachment with their grandchildren have sharper minds. Grandparents who spend time with their grandchildren feel younger. The company of grandchildren makes the grandparents stress free.
3. Children will learn many things from their grandparents:
Good grandparents play an active role in the development of your child. They have already crossed many successful milestones in their life so they can teach their grandchildren many useful life lessons.
4. Grandparents help out:
Grandparents are very helpful especially for the children with working parents. Having a trusted family member like grandparents who adores their grandchildren makes raising a child much easier. Grandparents can add an extra layer of security to their grandchildren’s life. Grandparents will help in reducing the household stress and help to experience affordable childcare options.
5. Children feel loved:
Children with caring grandparents get their love from the older generations which makes them feel strong. Grandparents can offer their grandchildren many valuable gifts of their life.
How To Deal With Uninvolved Grandparents?
If your parents or your husband’s parents are not involved in your kid’s life as you think, it’s time to think and help your child to get the love of their grandparents. Your child is the best tool to deal with their uninvolved parents.
Here are a few ways to handle uninvolved parents.:
1. Remind them that they are special to their grandchildren:
Remind the grandparents that are very special to your kids and they are very excited to meet and spend time with them. Involve your child in their grandparent’s birthdays and some other special days.
2. Talk to them:
Talk to the grandparents of your child and know the things that are stopping them to make bonds with their grandchildren and help them to clears the blocks. Let them know the benefits of grandparent-grandchildren relationship.
3. Find the activities that involve the grandparents:
Make your kids play with their grandparents. Let both children and their grandparents play with some toys and go out for a walk in the evening.
Here are a few activities that your child can do with their grandparents:
● Play a board or card games
● Putting a puzzle together
● Making craft together
● Reading a story book
● Write a story or poem together
4. Let your child to have some quality time with their grandchildren:
Leave your children near their grandparents on the weekends and ask your child to help their grandparents by doing the small things they can do. Make your kids to get involved in the daily chores when they are at their grandparents’ home. Helping nature in your kids make their grandparents adore and love them.
5. Ask your children to teach something new to their grandparents:
This is one of the best ways for dealing with uninvolved grandparents. These days kids are more familiar with the new technologies which their grandparents lag. Ask your children to teach their grandparents on how to operate some electronic devices. This strengthens the bond of your children with their grandparents.
6. Set a schedule to visit your child’s grandparents:
Set some time aside once or twice a month to make your child interact with their grandparents. As long as your children are with their grandparents keep them away from the screens and allow them to use them more effectively and efficiently.
7. Talk to your child’s grandparents about their responsibilities:
Grandparents should give helping hands in growing their grandchildren. They should teach your grandchildren about the morals and ethics. Let your or husband’s parents understand their roles and responsibilities as grandparents.
8. Involve them while arranging occasion for your kid:
Discuss with your child’s grandparents when you are planning to celebrate your kid’s birthday party or any other event for your kid. This strategy allows them to understand the value that you give them and this makes them think about their grandchildren.
9. Make your child to carry some presents for their grandparents:
Ask your kid to select a gift for their grandparents during the visits. This makes their grandparents feel loved. They come to know the priority that their grandchildren offer them. This realization turns uninvolved grandparents into involved.
10. Make your child’s grandparents happy:
Any kind of conflict between the older couple may push them into miserable conditions. Unhappiness and emotional strain are the two most known obstacles that make grandparents left with little energy to take care of their grandchildren. Make them always happy and help them to achieve emotional peace.
11. Make the grandparents to create opportunities for their grandchildren:
Make the grandparents find some opportunities for their grandchildren to do some activities. Try asking the grandparents what they like to do with their grandchildren and move with their thoughts.
12. Support your kid’s grand parents financially:
Some grandparents stay away from their grandchildren with the guilt towards their inability that they can not offer anything to their grandchildren because of the fixed income. If your kid’s grandparents are of this type, support them financially and help them to strengthen the bonds with their grandchildren.
13. Do not make your kids feel negative about their grandparents:
There is a possibility that your child may develop negative feelings towards their grandparents who rarely interact with them. Tell your child something that helps to reduce the negative feelings that they developed towards their grandparents.
14. Share your kid’s valuable moments with their grandchildren:
Keep your kid’s grandchildren more involved and keep them updated with the things that happen in your child’s life. Often share them the picture of your child like the first day of their school, dance videos, or any other events.
15. Invite your parents for the short trips:
With their growing age, your or your husband’s parents may not travel long distances along with you for vacations. Do not keep them avoided, encourage them to come for one day trips with your family and make them have a great time with your children.
16. Make your child to know about their grandparents:
Allow your child to know the habits and activities and ask them to behave accordingly. Make your child to be more realistic with their grandparents. Let your child talk about memories and life with their grandchildren.
17. Make your child to talk over the phone or chat with them often:
Allow your child to have interaction with their grandparents and ask them to know whether their grandchildren need any help.
18. Make your child to come up with the new ideas to help their grandparents:
Let your kids to come up with the new ideas to help their grandparents during their visits:
Here are a few things that your child can do for their grandparents:
● Vaccum the house
● Dust the furniture
● Pull weeds in the garden
● Painting the room
● Cleaning the carpets
19. Keep your efforts at their best:
Make the efforts to make your child closer to their grandparents. Often make the visits and invite them to your home. Make sure that proper and continuous communication is going between your child and their grandparents all the time.
Hold your patience and your parents will come to love your children soon.
In conclusion, along with your love and affection, your kids need other relationships. Making your kid surrounded by the more valuable relationships helps them to enhance their self confidence and self esteem. Adopt the ways to make uninvolved grandparents involved and make your kids to get unconditional love from their parents.
