At grandma’s house, lunch is served at noon. There is hearty food and homemade cake for dessert. Anyway, grandma can do everything. She waters the flowers in the garden, digs up the beds and plants them herself. When she’s tired, she sits in her chair and watches quiz shows, knits, or does crossword puzzles.

Today, grandmas may prefer to go out with grandpas instead of sitting in their armchairs. But they are still just as valuable to their grandchildren. They are more laid back, more experienced, and have time on their hands.
Something that is in short supply with parents.

Close Relationship Between Parents And Children

When you’re needed, you’re there. In case of illness, daycare strike, or business trip – the grandparents step in. Both parties remain independent in their daily lives.
Many grandparents enjoy taking care of their grandchildren, but don’t want to feel obligated to do so. The relationship between parents and their children is based on voluntariness.

The fact is that grandparents are now the third most important caregiver. They are becoming increasingly important. Nevertheless, not all grandparents can be lumped together. They all have a different understanding of their role.

Typical Grandma And Grandpa? No Way

1. The Formal Grandparents:

They show up for Christmas and birthdays. The grandchildren know grandma and grandpa only sporadically. The relationship is not very emotional. Sometimes, however, this changes when the children grow up.

2. The Distant Grandparents

A text message arrives for the child’s birthday. The grandchildren hardly play a role in the grandparents’ lives. However, such a relationship often depends on the relationship with the parents.

3. The Substitute Parents

These grandparents are always there for their grandchildren. The child has a similarly strong bond with them as with the parents.

4. Adventurous Jokers

They are completely absorbed in their new role. They take the children sledding and for ice cream. In this way, they take the pressure off their children and enrich their everyday lives at the same time.

Connecting Traditions

Grandparents can pass on a lot to their grandchildren. Children love rituals, such as baking Easter bread together. While parents sometimes don’t have time for it, grandma and grandpa insist. And the grandchildren join in. Grandparents are also often more relaxed because they’ve been through the whole child-rearing thing before. Through their experience, they already have a knack for certain situations.

Retreat For Grandchildren

“Then I’ll just go to grandma’s”, this sentence is not uncommon when the air is thick at home again. Grandparents fulfill an important function. They often provide a place of retreat for their grandchildren. The child can escape the stress of everyday life and the strict rules. With grandma and grandpa, everything is different.

Rest Pool

Older people usually radiate a certain calm. This offers young children a nice contrast to the noisy kindergarten and crowded playgrounds.
By interacting with the grandchildren, the grandparents also learn. For example, they develop a technical understanding that they did not have before.

Conversely, you give the little ones a new perspective. Grandpa talks about the war, how life used to be very different and teaches that each generation grows up under different conditions.

Grandma Wanted!

In the meantime, there are many older people who offer themselves as so-called “surrogate grandmas”.
They themselves have no grandchildren and take on the role of a grandparent for someone else’s child.
Often a relationship develops here comparable to that with biological grandparents.