#Grandchildren March 18

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In 2020 some Coach4aday posts will feature lessons learned by completing, planning, and experiencing 30 day challenges. The challenges include physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional.

Grandchildren

I have posted previously about GRANDCHILDREN.

I do not think it is just me but becoming a grandparent transform you.

I read a passage from Proverbs 17:6 that paraphrases that GRANDCHILDREN are the crowns that older people wear. I have been told by many that in the presence of my granddaughter my crown is evident.

My Granddaughter Bryleigh on a Sunday walk to church

I never knew two of my four grandparents (my mom’s dad and my dad’s mom). They died when my parents were just teenagers. My other two grandparents passed away before I was 8. I am happy that my granddaughter knows and cherishes all four of her grandparents.

I don’t think my situation with not knowing all of my grandparents is unique. The life expectancy has changed since the 20th Century.  In 1900, less than half of American adolescents had at least two living grandparents, that figure had grown to 90% in 1976.

I came across the results of a survey by the American Grandparents Association (AGA). Here is what it had to reveal:

• 72% of grandparents “think being a grandparent is the single most important and satisfying thing in their life.” I am not in the 28% group.
• More than 75% of grandparents use the internet and nearly half use social media regularly. This tool keeps them connected to their GRANDCHILDREN. That is the case with me using FaceTime to speak with my granddaughter daily.

Dr. Karl Pillemer of Cornell University has done a lot of research on grandparents and grandchildren. He also directs the Cornell Legacy project.

According to Dr. Pillemer, the relationship between grandparents and their GRANDCHILDREN is second in emotional importance only to the relationship between parent and child.

Children benefit when grandparents are involved in their lives. But grandparents also enjoy benefits from the relationship with their GRANDCHILDREN. If you are a grandparent you understand one of those perks is joy.

It makes me feel better knowing Ivy League research vouches what I already determined, that GRANDCHILDREN transform our lives.

Tags: American Grandparents Association, Cornell Legacy Project, Grandchildren, Granddaughter, Grandparents, Karl Pillemer, Transform, University Research