10 Reasons Why Family Time Is Important With Our Grandchildren
Stronger Bonds
To build a stronger bond with our grandchild/ren is to develop better ties and relationships with our grandchild/ren, because they need a sense of belonging and security to have someone they can turn and look up to for anything. Spending time together ensures that a deep, intense bond is developed with them.
Take Time To Talk and Listen
Make time to talk and listen to our grandchild/ren by spending the need to share, chat, and listen to each other.
Grandparents think that it would be tough to talk to their grandchild/ren who think differently from grown-ups. However grandparents forget their own time when they were young! We need to remember the people we liked were the ones who listened to what we had to say. So we need to listen to what our grandchild/ren have to say. When we listen we must not only hear the words our grandchild/ren are saying, but we must feel what our grandchild/ren is trying to communicate to us.
As grandparents we need to listen without jumping in with answers, criticizing, or giving our viewpoints. We need to show that we are involved in their conversation, by stopping everything we are doing and listen to our grandchild/ren. Grandparents be sure you talk directly to your grandchild/ren and especially your teenage grandchild/ren about life such as alcohol, drugs, sex and anything that you feel is important and set good examples yourself for them.
Teach Our Grandchild/ren Valuable Lessons of Life
Grandparents let’s teach our grandchild/ren valuable lessons of life at home so they will not learn it else where. As a grandparent, would you want your grandchild/ren to learn life’s essential lessons by undergoing pain, or going the wrong way?
Our grandchild/ren will learn a few things on their own, so it’s important to have family time to discuss, where you you can put forth problems, or situations in front of them, and then talk about them with your grandchild/ren. always seek their opinion, and discuss on the matter. This can help our grandchild/ren understand the situations of life in a better way.
Show Affection, Appreciation, and Encouragement
We should show affection, appreciation, and encouragement to our grandchild/ren and they should be showing the same to their grandparents so that everyone in the family has a way of showing love to each other, by giving hugs, holding hands, being thoughtful and kind. Studies has shown that teenagers who remember being praised, hugged, or even kissed are likely to do excellent at school then those who never had this experience.
Grandparents and grandchild/ren need to take out quality family time to ask each family member how was their day and show interest in each other’s lives. Let’s always think about the positive in each other and tell each other what goodness you have noticed in them instead of criticizing one another.
Instilling Family Values In Our Grandchild/ren
Let’s instill family values in our grandchild/ren so that they are not mislead by what they see and hear. Our grandchild/ren will imitate the behavior you show towards them. Remember what ever behaviors you portray in front of your grandchild/ren they will be the same for their children in the future.
So spending family time together will build a sense of worth and instill positive family values in our grandchild/ren.
Teach Your Grandchild/ren Family Rituals and Traditions
Grandparents by doing the little things that you do daily and on special occasions, helps to build a sense of belonging, happiness, and inner security within the family. Let’s teach our grandchild/ren how to greet each other, or say goodbye, what you do at mealtimes or bedtimes, can all be something to share within your family time.
Grandparents and grandchild/ren benefit by coming together to celebrate occasions like anniversaries, birthdays, cookouts, and festivals like Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving where our grandchild/ren learn the traditions about what happens at these times.
Help Our Grandchild/ren How To Accept The Differences In Others
During family time with our grandchild/ren is essential to appreciate, encourage and value the differences in each family member, knowing that everyone is unique in their own way. By doing this it allows grandparents and grandchild/ren to be excited about their interests, and show respect and tolerance toward each other.
Grandparents don’t pressure your grandchild/ren to be like you, or hide their feelings and differences. Instead let your grandchild/ren feel proud to be themselves.
Keep In Touch With Friends and Relatives
Grandparents as we live in a society, we do need to spend time among our family as well as allowing our grandchild/ren to interact with friends and relatives. Teaching our grandchild/ren that there are people outside the immediate family they can turn to in a crisis can make a difference in our grandchild/ren happiness. By doing this it also increases the chances of them making good friends later in life.
Teaching Our Grandchildren To Share The Chores
During family time it is necessary to teach our grandchild/ren by giving them a chance to do things for themselves, under your supervision. Grandparents use adult power wisely, and keep control through humor and encouragement, not with punishment or threats.
When spending time with the family together, an outstanding relationship of trust and understanding develops that helps build a healthier family. Especially when our grandchild/ren have a real say in what happens and where everyone in the family feels their views are being heard.
How To Help and Connect Better With Your Grandchild/ren
Grandparents as you know most of the most overlooked aspects of education today is involvement. Sometimes many grandparents don’t realize the importance of family time and how important it is to involve ourselves in our grandchildren’s learning.
All grandparents need to find the time and make an effort. Research and studies shows that when grandparents involve themselves in the family, their grandchild/ren:
Get superior grades and test scores
Graduate from high school at higher rates
Are most likely to go on to higher education
Have more positive attitudes and behave better
Grandparents remember spending time with your family can be like reading a bedtime story to your grandchild/ren, checking their homework, getting involved in PTA, discussing your grandchildren’s progress with teachers, or anything also related to their academic achievement. It can be as simple as asking your grandchild/ren how was their day at school but be sure to ask everyday.
Wrapping It Up
Grandparents the importance of family and why we should spend quality time with family doesn’t remain a question any longer. Now you know it helps create a sense of belonging, where you can share ideas, values, and beliefs.
We need to find ways to spend time together as a family group and have fun times together. For example we could share meals without the distraction of television or cell phones, sharing information, and learning about what is happening in each other lives. We can play cards, games or sports, take vacations together, spend holidays together, go camping, watch movies, listen to music, or share hobbies.
We can build a stronger family unit by spending more time together and our family will stick together through rough times, besides enjoying the fun times together.
We need to show loyalty to our family, stick up for each other so that everyone feels confident in the family’s support and we can pull together to form a united front to find solutions.
Grandchild/ren grow up and are gone before you realize it, so please don’t waste the time you have now, and spend it with your family. Grandparents remember that healthy families can withstand setbacks and crisis with a positive attitude, shared values, and beliefs that help our grandchild/ren cope with challenges.