Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Healing Grandparents

“I love you, You love me.”

Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,
    and the glory of children is their parents.
Proverbs 17:6  (NRSV)

He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, 
and do not hinder them, 
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Mark 10:14b (NIV)

Like parenthood, the skills and activities for grandparents are difficult to describe and perform; at least it was for me.  In the United States, there is a growing population of grandparents.

I always knew there were high expectations of grandparents, but what I did not know was the impact of grandchildren on the lives of grandparents.  We get to see “life again” through “new eyes”.  We also see the early versions of caring and empathy and we are  the fortunate recipients.

So what initially looked like a “one way relationship” is in reality a dynamic one.  These grandchildren bring healing to grandparents!

Marvin

References

Lumby J.  Grandparents and grandchildren: a grand connection. [Review]
International Journal of Evidence-Based Healthcare.  8(1):28-31, 2010 Mar.

Hage, M. L. (2013). Residential Learning. Retrieved from http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2013/03/residential-learning.html

Hage, M.L. (2014) Ancestry Gift.  Retrieved from http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2014/12/ancestry-gift.html