Do you know your grandchildren are watching you? That what you say and do set an example?
Just as they learn (good and bad) from parents, they also learn from grandparents.   So it’s difficult to say, “Do as I say, not as I do.”
We also continue to influence youngsters long after ours are grown, especially when we have frequent contact with our grandchildren.  So how do you want you want your grandchildren to resemble you?
This doesn’t mean “spoil” them or compete with other grandparents, Be yourself, but be consistent with what you say and do and teach regarding:

Honesty
Loyalty
Clean language
Good health habits
Self-sufficiency
Finances
Relationships with …read more

Many grandparents are involved with their grandchildren today, many in active parenting roles.  Some parent with the parents while others have sole custody of the grandchildren.
We live in a multi-generational household and have helped with the grandchildren during illnesses my daughter and her husband have experienced.  Everyone contributed to seeing to the welfare of the children.
?Do I find parenting different today?  We maintain the same values…religious, moral and ethical…that my parents did with me and we with our daughter.  The external world our grandchildren face has different challenges than my husband and I experienced and our daughter.  Sometimes they may be …read more

Since today is Grandparents’ Day, how about considering ways to save the memories of being a grandparent or of your grandparents.  These days pass quickly so how do you preserve the memories.

Make quilts or fabric art from fabrics and clothing that have special meaning.
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Organize your photos into albums and scrapbooks.
Put photos on DVDs for future generations and to share with present ones.
Make shadowboxes.
Create collages and frame them.
Make fabric or mixed media postcards of family memories and send to family members.
Write the memories in a journal.
Record the vocal memories.
Have a family gathering to work on family memory projects, including those about grandparents.

How …read more

Sunday, September 13 is Grandparents’ Day…time to spend with or at least remember your grandparents.  A fairly recent day of recognition, this holiday helps bring families together and create memories.
How you celebrate with your grandparents depends on your and their age, the logistics of where each of you lives, the methods of communication you each have if you live some distance.
Even if you can’t spend the day with grandparents, you can create memories.

Use Skype or similar method of communication so you can see one another while you chat online.
Share photos via e-mail or Facebook.
Make a phone call.
Have dinner with them.
Take …read more

When my husband and I travel, we generally bring home gifts for our grandchildren.  But they’re not the kind we spend a great deal of money to purchase. 
They are rocks and seashells, seaglass, foods from the area, something a relative may have made, and stories of places we’ve visited.  The natural objects are typical of that area and may tell of the geology and history.  We bring home recipes to try and ingredients we might not find at home.  (I use these for my travel writing, but the grandchildren seem to look forward to them, too.)
he “gifts” include:

 Rocks of a …read more

According to an article I read recently,  grandparents are vying for grandchildren’s attention and spend at competing rates to “buy” attention.  Are you one of these?  Or are you a grandparent who brings simple pleasures and laughter to your grandchildren’s world?
In today’s society, do children feel grandparents only care for them if  buying the kids “things,” like electronic games, taking them to movies and attractions, or using restaurants with entertainment and toys in the meals?  If so, how do youngsters obtain these ideas?
Where have gone the days that grandparents and children worked and played together with simple activities.  I do mean …read more

I discovered that my grandchildren had no prejudice when it came to the elderly with Alzheimer’s.  They accepted my mother as she was. 
The fact that she might not know them seemed to have no bearing upon the youngsters, who began visiting her at the nursing home when they were 2- and 6-years old.  They were 8 and 12 when she passed away. 
To the younger child, Mother’s ramblings were a language he said only he understood.  “Grandma talk to me,” he said, when I wondered what she was saying. 
When asked why she visited a great grandmother who didn’t know her, my granddaughter once replied, …read more

Do you have memories of working on crafts with your grandparent(s)?  Are you a grandparent who provides activities of this type of your youngsters?  These help develop a family heritage and bond the generations together.
My fond memories:

Learning to make a quilt for my bed with my grandmother
Writing letters with her.
Sewing clothes for my dolls with Nanny
Baking bread with Nanny and my aunt
Doing spool weaving

Crafts with my grandchildren that I hope create memories:

Scrapbooking
Cooking
Coloring Easter eggs
Quilting with my granddaughter
Making collages with mixed media

What are your crafting memories with your grandparents or as a grandparent?

When I wrote about grandparents parenting, one of my readers related the joys she’s experienced caring for a grandchild.
Janet shared:
I took care of my grandson from the time he was six months until he was 2 1/2 while his mom returned to work. It was an absolutely wonderful experience. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to bond with him and to watch him grow.
I watched him crawl for the first time and take his first steps and I helped to potty train him. I will remember these important firsts the same as I remember my own …read more

When grandparents are involved in parenting roles, whether temporarily, full time, or with a parent, they’ll find many joys:

Looking at the world through the eyes of a child again.
Finding flowers wild and in gardens
Taking walks at a child’s pace
Collecting stones to skip on the water
Finding awe in a bird building its nest
Struggling through math homework and seeing the child’s face light up when he “gets it.”
Learning computer skills because grandchildren expect you to be up to date
Experiencing birthday parties, putting up a Christmas tree, capturing leprechauns on St. Patrick’s Day, coloring eggs at Easter,  planning  surprises and so much more.

What …read more