What is the effect of keeping grandparents close to the family?
A close relationship between grandparents and grandchildren is mutually beneficial when it comes to the health and well-being of both. Grandparents provide acceptance, patience, love, stability, wisdom, fun and support to their grandchildren. This, in turn, has positive effects on a child’s well-being.
What is the role of grandparents today?
While the mosaic of grandparent life today is changing, what hasn’t changed is the grandparent’s respected role in the family. Grandparents today largely view their role as imparting wisdom and knowledge to their grandchildren.
Where did my grandfather work in the RAF?
He was dispatched to RAF St Athan, an air base in south Wales, where he installed and maintained radar equipment in planes like Mosquitoes, Halifaxes and Beaufighters. I loved these tales of going up in these famous fighters and bombers on test runs, of the camaraderie on base, even the drudgeries of guard duty or rushing to breakfast in the mess.
When did my grandfather join the Canadian Air Force?
My grandfather enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940 and he was put to work on the Allies’ top-secret, new weapon: radar. Early in the war, Britain asked the Canadian government to recruit and train bright young men for what was then called Range and Direction Finding.
Where was the Wedding Album of my grandfather?
It was their wedding photo, and it sat in a cabinet in my parents’ front hall, surrounded by other age-old family snaps – each generation afforded one photo of their younger years. That changed after my grandfather died in 2000. While my family sorted through his belongings we found a black, leather-bound album, in a drawer in the basement.
What did my grandfather do in World War 2?
He was a yarn-spinner and an expert joke-teller. He loved history, and had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the past, which he loved to share. My favourite stories were about his experiences in World War II, and there was plenty to hear about.
What was the relationship between grandparents and parents?
Some grandparents reported differences with the parents over discipline and spoiling and sometimes these differences led to conflict. Although most of these grandparents (mostly grandmothers) were not paid they often received payment in kind; household bills were paid, food was bought or the grandparents were given some treat.
Why do grandparents have less contact with their grandchildren?
Some have to bring up their grandchildren when the parents cannot and some do more childminding than they had expected. Some grandparents have less contact than they would like, due to separation or divorce of parents.
When do you know a grandparent is a problem?
So when a parent refuses to acknowledge any parenting missteps or regrets, it’s a red flag for a problematic grandparent. The same way they deny having made any mistakes as a parent, they will deny any lapses in judgment as a grandparent. I have a personal experience with a grandmother overfeeding the grandchild to the point of constipation.
When do grandparents have to take over care of grandchildren?
A particularly complex and life changing issue for grandparents is when they have to take over the care of their grandchildren. There have always been some grandparents who have brought up grandchildren because of the death of their parents, parental physical or mental illness or abandonment.