The Value of Grandparents In Our Life

We often underestimate the value of grandparents in our life. They make up part of who we are, and they offer us a special view of the world. They are different from anyone else we know, and if we take the time to get to know them and cherish our relationship with them, they can change our lives.

Your grandparents are a part of you.

Your grandparents raised your parents. They were certain types of people with specific incidents in their lives that greatly affected who your parents were who in turn greatly determine what kind of life you have led and who you are. Think about the environment in your home as a child, the things your parents taught you, the life that they led, and the choices they made. Then, think about what you know about your grandparents and how they raised your parents. It is really awe-inspiring to make all the connections. You can see how the things relate to one another and understand yourself and your family better. What might you do differently with this new perspective?

They know a time you will never know.

You were born in a certain year and know the world from the perspective of that year up until today. Your parents know a certain twenty, thirty, or forty year period before that, and they are familiar with things you are not and have a different view of the world than you do. If you have never heard of something before, you can go to them and learn about people and things you might not ever know about otherwise. If you pay attention, you can get
a sense of what life was like before you were born, how people thought differently than they do now and what might have caused people to be the ways they are today. Well, your grandparents know even more than your parents do. Their experience goes back yet another twenty to forty years. That is a vast pool of knowledge just waiting for someone to appreciate it.

Your grandparents have learned a lot.

In all those years I mentioned above, a lot of life happened. Your grandparents have loved, lost, hurt, and rejoiced many more times than you or your parents. They also have the benefit of seeing the world from a perspective no one else but their peers can see. The world looks very different as time passes. You see your life in a new perspective when you're a teen, a young adult, a middle-aged adult, and eventually a senior citizen. Your experiences take on a new light with the passage of time, and some milestones in life bring their own unique views to former problems.

Grandparents are able to see you in a unique way.

Hopefully, there are and will be many people in this world who love you, but your grandparents will love you in a way that no one else really can. You represent something unique to them, the children of their own children. They knew about you before you are born, knew and cared for you from infancy, and watched you grow up all with the eyes of a loving parent but without some of the complications of being a parent. Your parents love you in one way, very intimately and with a great deal of responsibility, while your grandparents can look at you with loving and less strict eyes. They also see you and your life as more of a whole, because they have a better vantage point to sit back and watch and they know the things I mentioned above. They know who they themselves are and who your parents are, and they see how those things influenced your life. They therefore see you in a completely way than anyone else.

Definitely take the time to get to know your grandparents. Really spend time with them. Talk to them. Ask them questions about their life. They have knowledge you can use, even if it doesn't pertain to electronics or today's modern entertainers and culture. That is part of the point. You have many people who can foster that side of you, but there are lots of other kinds of knowledge out there and your grandparents have a portion of  it.