GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017 - Subscribe Today! - 13

Proximity: Near or Far

Some grandparents live around the corner from their grandchildren while others live around the globe. How close you
live may determine how often you see them and how intertwined your lives become. If they live nearby, your grandchild
and their mom or dad might stop over on the way home from
the grocery store. You may be asked to fill in for spur of the
moment childcare - or even be asked to provide child care on
a daily or weekly basis for working parents.
If you live further away, your relationship may grow
through visits. Experienced grandparents tell us that although
visits may be arranged differently - you go to them, they
come to you, or you meet in a third location - grandparents
often need to be the ones to initiate the event.
In lieu of visits - or in between visits - technology has given
grandparents a gift: the ability to stay connected through
Facetime or Skype. It truly is the next best thing to being there.
13 GRAND

MARCH APRIL 2017

Ability: Unlimited or Limited

Ability means different things. Physical ability, of
course, determines what kinds of activities you'll
enjoy with your grandchild. Some grandparents are
more active - they're on the playground or rolling
around on the living room floor. Less able bodies
may offer a quieter connection...rocking, reading,
singing, talking.
Financial ability also can affect how often you get
together - and what activities you do.
Your own commitments - involving work or other
members of the family - determine the time you
have available to spend with each grandchild.
There are as many different styles of grandparenting as there are grandparents. Fortunately, grandbabies
don't come with pre-set criteria for how Grandma or
Granddad must be. If you love them, they will love you.

Relationship with the Baby's Parents:
Warm or Cool

Grandparents are not in the driver's seat of this new baby's life,
we're in the sidecar. We're not the ones losing sleep from the
heavy responsibility of nurturing human life for the next couple of
decades. But we are coming along for the adventure.
Most grands earned the right to be a grandparent by raising a child.
(Some "inherited" a child through marriage.) Chances are the relationship you've had with your son or daughter and partner has already set
a tone. But with a new baby in the family circle, there's a greater need
than ever for communication, cooperation, and mutual respect.

Desire: Strong or Mild

Some grandparents can't get enough of their grandchildren.
Others prefer their grandchildren in small doses. Be honest
with yourself and have the courage to be authentic in your
grandparenting.
Continued on next page

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - March/April 2017 - Subscribe Today!