The importance of grandparents - we could have told them this!

Someone who loves the child as a loving parent would. That can be a teacher, a neighbor or a friend, not always a grandparent. Some grandparents are scary !

Children need positive influences and love from their “village” no matter who the village is. Some children are born without living grandparents. They aren’t disenfranchised on that fact alone, just as some grandparents simply aren’t positive influences despite frequent contact. I think these “studies” just state the obvious by oversimplifying and cherry-picking factors. Love and support are the key points with positive outcomes and children, not necessarily adult familial titles alone.

Having said that, I feel blessed to provide said love and support to my grandchildren. I order to achieve this I must also love and support their parents. Having a village is great, but having a village who works together matters most.

Not everyone agrees though MawsRosie which is why sometimes parents estranged from their child(ren) and GC are told that they wont be missed as GP's aren't that important .

sodapop

The government is just grateful for all the unpaid child care from grandparents now.
Cynical moi ?

It is funded by The Cabinet Office!

I also read an article in the Times re. pensions.
Apparently the ‘expert’ said that £10,000 invested at birth would give a decent pension at 65. Obviously you (at least I) would probably need a bit of advice.
We are now thinking of doing something for our grandchild. We only have one. Imagine if you had 11 like my mum!
I have a feeling that he’d rather have the cash now but we wouldn’t give him the choice. When he gets to 65 he might remember how wonderful we were? He’s already 15 and only grunts at us, perhaps we are late to the party!

My maternal GP’s died when I was very young, I have a vague recollection of GF. Paternal GF died young leaving my GM with young C, my F was the eldest and had a tough upbringing.
My GM lived with her youngest D and mostly brought up her children so they were the favourite GC.
I didn’t really get a look in after my F died when I was 11.
So no attachment or affection to/ from them.
I have had a lot of input in my own GC’s lives and two of them, not siblings, live with me.

My grandchildren are keeping me alive … so the government has to keep paying my somewhat meagre State pension as compared to other European countries plus again NHS ….

The government is just grateful for all the unpaid child care from grandparents now.
Cynical moi ?

😫😩 all four of my grandparents died before I was born. No hope for me then.

I was very very close to my maternal grandparents although my paternal grandparents live in the same town I saw them once a week for a ‘formal’ visit.i think the difference was my maternal grandparents were younger than the paternal ones my paternal grandma was house bound and the maternal grandparents literally had me as their only grandchild my paternal grandparents had six or seven other grandkids
When it came to me, my husband ‘disappeared’ and left me with three children so I went home to be near mum and dad to help me , although I kept a healthy relationship with the paternal grandparents, again they had a very, very big family of loads of grandkids.
It’s often not intentional

I totally adored my Grandparents, especially my Mums parents heartbroken when my lovely Nan passed away. My Dad's parents, a different storey, his Dad we all loved, he was fabulous fun but my Dad's mum, what a cold fish. I was her grandchild no 13, she never had much time for us, especially the younger girls. She even told my Mum when my sister was born, if she had, had a Boy she would have given her a bigger gift for the baby. Needless to say, my Mum always referred to her, in derogatory terms!

I suspect that the reason for "the grandparent effect being strongest for the mother's mother" is because the father's mother often doesn't get a look in.

My 5 year old grandson and I were having a very self congratulatory moment on Friday. He told me of his friend from school whose grandmother had cancer. So what happened to her, I asked… she died before he was born. Bit of a sobering moment.
We then realised how very fortunate we were.

Totally agree

I can remember spending time with both grans and I was fortunate to have two great grandmas, one of which taught me to play the piano.

I have very fond memories of time spent all g with the things they taught me.