One of the most important milestones in your life is becoming a grandparent. A new generation has been added to your family and you have entered a season of life that is so wonderful that you could never have imagined it. This new grandchild will change your life and give you glimpses of God in every smile.
1. Pray. If you are a faithful grandparent, you are undoubtedly praying for this baby and the parents much more than you knew. When the baby finally comes, you hold that answer to your prayers in your arms and marvel at God’s handiwork. You felt kind of the same way when the doctor put your own babies in your arms, but something about the little expansion of your family into the next generation brings a huge thrill.
Your prayers don’t stop now that the baby is here. In fact, the older your grandchild grows, the more he needs our prayers to constantly cover him. The world they grow up in gets a little harder every year. We want our grandchildren to grow up in the world but not experience all the things of the world.
2. Play. Adult children love to see their parents enjoying their children. “I love to see you get down on the floor to play with the kids,” said one of my grown children.
You may think that an infant is not ready to play yet. But you can sing them. let them see the joy of the Lord in you. Play hand games where you can hold their hands in yours. Read them books. Even when they are very young, they can enjoy sitting on your lap. When they’re laying on a blanket for “tummy time,” join them and let them look you in the eye while you’re together on the blanket.
Toddlers enjoy playing ball, building with blocks and learning to color – all you can do with them. This is a good time to teach them to put away anything they take out to play. If you start early, cleanup just becomes part of the play session.
Ever since my grandkids were little, we’ve had a card run, so they’re always ready to play when they come over to my house. The sad thing is that as I have taught them, they have become much better players than me and can quickly beat me in a game of “Spit”, “War”, “Crazy Eights” and more. They also like board games now that they are older, which is fun and educational!
3. Support your grandchild. As your grandchildren grow up, they need your support in everything they do. As they grow, there will be kindergarten graduations, soccer games, many sporting events, music recitals, and more. Watch as much as you can so that the child feels your support and love. If you are unable to attend, please request a video.
4. Support new parents. New parents have many questions. When they ask a question, give them the best answer you can. It is best not to offer advice but to wait until asked. It will be better received.
Offer to babysit so they can have a “date night” or go to a Bible study. If they don’t feel comfortable going out, bring them a gift card for a delivered dinner and a movie rental to spend time together. As the baby grows, it will become more comfortable leaving it with you for longer periods of time.
5. If you have a few hours, stop by your new parents’ house and offer to watch the baby while mom takes a nap or goes out for coffee with a friend. If you feel you can, offer to babysit for short periods of time while mom runs errands. More often than not, the new moms in our family choose the nap!
6. Continually rejoice with the new parents for the precious gift from God that has been given to them. Praise their efforts to be good parents. Show off your grandchild to the parents and congratulate them for doing such a good job.
7. As the kids get older, invite them out to dinner or ice cream with you. This will give parents a short break to regroup or finish a chore they wanted to complete.
8. Always have their favorite snacks (or the ingredients to make them) with them. Two of our granddaughters would always walk through our door, and the first words they’d say would be, “Can I have a ‘grilled’ cheese?” I took grilled cheese sandwiches wrapped in aluminum foil to swim meets and other sporting events!
If you don’t live nearby
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Prostock-Studio
When grandchildren live across the country or across the ocean, grandparents may find it difficult to develop relationships. Thanks to technology, it’s easier than ever to meet your grandchildren wherever you live.
9. If you have a computer, you probably have access to Zoom, which is a great way to not only hear their voices, but also see them on the screen, and have them see you too. They can tell you their news and you can hear the growing maturity in their voices. Also, they can hear you tell family stories of your family history and be proud of the family God has given them.
10. When calling your grandkids, you can also use Facetime on your phone or computer and get the same effect as Zoom. Some families set aside a weekly time to talk with their grandchildren. This is especially effective if your grandchildren are infants or toddlers.
Nana and Pop Pop are grandparents to four boys. They have a permanent Sunday night dinner “date” with their grandchildren. They watch them eat and sometimes eat their dinner at the same time. This practice allows them to see what their grandchildren like to eat and participate in the dinner table conversation. Once they reach kindergarten, they have a lot to tell you and show you, but they often have a limit to how much time they want to sit and chat! It is also important for the new grandchild to see your face, especially when you are away. So when you are together, they recognize you immediately.
11. These days, almost everyone has a computer. Computer games are plentiful. you can keep a running game on the computer with your grandchild, bring you together and create a relationship. Design an old fashioned computer bingo game. Grandpa can be the caller. Email everyone a bingo card. Offer prizes.
12. While your grandchild is young, you can hold up family, object and food cards and cheer loudly when they get it right.
13. Have a fashion show. Let people know in plenty of time what the theme will be. (Around an election, it might be patriotic, near a holiday, the theme, if it’s someone’s birthday, is to dress up in something they’d like.)
14. Send some things the old-fashioned way – by post. It’s a real thrill for the grandchildren to go to the mailbox and find a package or letter with their name on it. The holidays are a particularly good time to do this. Find out what their favorite snacks are and include some of them.
15. Set up a photo sharing schedule with your family. Kids can easily share photos of grandchildren
Whether you live next door or thousands of miles away from your grandchildren, being a grandparent will quickly change your perspective on life. You’ll find it’s more fun to skip bridge club and babysitting than the other way around. You prefer to go to the children’s museum with the grandchildren than to eat with your friends. But most of all, you will see glimpses of our Heavenly Father every time you are with the grandchildren. You may hear words from God, feel His presence through a hug or a touch, or see the reflection of the Father’s love in a smile or big blue eyes.
Photo: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
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Linda Gilden is an award-winning author, speaker, editor, certified writing and speaking coach, and personality consultant. Her passion is helping others discover the joy of writing and learn to use their writing to make a difference. Linda was recently released Articles, articles, articles! and is the author of over a thousand journal articles and 19 books, including the new Quick Guides to Personalities. She loves every opportunity to share her testimony, especially through her writing. Linda’s favorite activity (besides eating folded chips) is floating in a pool with a good book surrounded by splashing grandchildren – a great source of writing material!
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The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Salem Web Network and Salem Media Group.
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