In six to eight weeks I’m going to be doubly blessed! My wife and I already have two granddaughters from our oldest son and his wife. But soon, our daughter and her husband will be having twins – a boy and a girl. So, our grandchild count will go from two to four. We will be doubly blessed! I’ve discovered over the last seven years that grandparenting is greater than I even imagined.
Grandparents play such an important role in family and culture. Linda and I recently had our two granddaughters (ages 7 and 3) at our house for four days. Earlier this year, we took our 7 year old on a two-week trip from Florida to Oregon to visit extended family. It’s tiring but so much fun. It is such an honor and delight to pour into the youngest generation. To be able to shape and nurture them for short periods of time is always a blessing. To see them soak up the attention and the love is a special privilege.
Due to my hobby of photography, I’m known as the “Grand Paparazzi.” This grandpa loves to capture those memorable images that we don’t want to ever forget. They crave the focused attention. They love posing and they eagerly await looking at the pictures I’ve seized during their visits. They treasure the photo books we’ve made after the trips and special events. It makes them feel beautiful, valued and important.
Whether you are a new or seasoned grandparent or maybe not a grandparent at all, you can take a young person under your wing and pass on a legacy that will leave an incredible impression and impact. You can change the generations to come, one child at a time.
There are many excellent resources available. There is a Grandparents Day website that has dozens of ideas for celebrating and doing something grand on behalf of children and grandparents. There’s a great book called Grandparenting Through Obstacles that may be just the resource you need right now. There’s another website called Christian Grandparenting Network that has a weekly thought-provoking blog, prayers, articles, books and other resources available.
Grand children can be a big blessing to you but you can be a monstrous blessing to them! More to come next time with some specific suggestions for passing on your legacy to the next generations.
QUESTIONS: What have you found to be the most rewarding part of grandparenting? Share it below.
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