It’s Great to be Grand!
The Baby Boom has become the Grandparent Gush!
There are more grandparents in the U.S. than ever before — some 70 million matriarchs and patriarchs that are embracing a new age and stage in life. Call it a second career or simply a welcome perk among the agonizing aches and pains of aging.
Mary H. Waldrip’s warm words state “Grandchildren are God’s way of compensating us for growing old.” But, believe it or not, grandparenting can guide the older generation toward grander health.
The fringe benefits of impending infirmity are irrefutable. According to Lillian Carson, author of the landmark book, The Essential Grandparent, being in touch with the younger generation literally beefs up the immune system. It adds increased activity and builds better mental well-being via reduced loneliness, stress relief, higher life satisfaction, and lower depression. My own favorite factor relishes a renewed sense of purpose in life. For many retirees, it’s not the end, but a brand new beginning in life’s later stages. The Golden Years no longer define this lineage as “gray hairs” in rocking chairs!
Boomers boast an average of five to six grandchildren each and are often a little bit parent, a little bit teacher and a little bit best friend. They serve as emergency caregivers, storytellers and boost family cohesion.
This era for elders serves as a chance to enhance relationships with adult children, who have graced grandparents with a wonderful gift. There’s the realization of the impact of their parents who strengthen family bonds, plus pass down founded family legacies and values to the next generation. Not only can older kin share their enlightenment through the ages, the provision of financial and caregiving support keeps grandparents active with those who made us parents many fond memories ago.
That said, grandparenting can also equate to quite a financial investment. An AARP study showed that 25 percent of grandparents have spent more than $1,000 in the past year on their grandchildren. I’m no expert, but if I had to garner a guesstimate, I’d say that $1,000 doesn’t even come close! The gifts, guerdons, goodies, and even GAS add up. In fact, an entire industry has now grown around intergenerational travel. For some, it’s the Grand Caymans. For this grandma, it’s Great Wolf Lodge! (which can still be pretty salty, even if it’s not overseas).
The financial factors found in and around grandparenting is evident as hailed by Hallmark and the holiday declaration of Grandparent’s Day. On a “grand-er” scale, an estimated 3 million older adults, contending with their own financial flailing, are even raising their grandchildren as their adult children are facing their own personal, relational, and fiscal misfortunes. And here’s a fun fact … humans are the only species where grandparents actively help to raise their own children’s offspring!
Bottom line, it’s rumored that “The Golden Rule of Grandparenting” is to grace grandchildren with unconditional love and emotional support without interfering with the rules and family dynamics established by their adult children.
My parting passage this week parlays this sentiment from American comedy writer and producer Gene Perret:
“What a bargain grandchildren are! I give them my loose change, and they give me a million dollars’ worth of pleasure.”
Yes, it is great to be GRAND!
Branna (McCarty) Shores believes that “HOME is where your story begins.” A Noblesville native and proud graduate of NHS and Purdue University, she is a professional speaker, advocate for mental health and work / family balance and retired social worker. Branna is the mother of two grown daughters, six precious grandchildren and wife of one brave husband! Her passions include singing, writing and sharing the lighter side of life through lessons learned, both personally and professionally. She can be contacted at branna18@gmail.com