Valuable emotional supports, auxiliaries of choice, the grandparents bring a lot to the development of the child. What role for grandparents in education? Here is an overview of the essentials of grandparenting.

Grandparents have the advantage of having a lot of free time, as they usually no longer work. They can thus take care of the child when the parents are busy with their jobs.

These moments are an opportunity to forge tender and precious bonds between generations. Spending time with the grandparents helps the child to form his identity, and to situate himself in a filiation. Indeed, the grandparents are bearers of the past, and guarantors of the history of the family.

The house in which they live is often loaded with memories, and filled with photographs. The grandparent’s home ensures real stability, as well as geographic roots. In the eyes of the child, it represents moments of leisure or vacation, far from parental authority.

Less stressed than parents, grandparents play a special role: they act as authority, without imposing constraints. They do not see their grandchild every day, and therefore have more patience to teach him everyday gestures.

If they support the parents, the grandparents are often the ones who give up weight, who do not punish, who give gifts and cook good meals. The child thus develops bonds of tenderness, based on pleasure, which will undoubtedly lead him to make them his first confidants.

This role of confidant is particularly important in the event of a crisis between the child and the parents. Grandparents offer a space for discussion, but also an opportunity to take a step back. They must respect the confidentiality of what is told to them. If there is a problem, it is imperative that the grandparents encourage the child to talk to the parents. Only extreme and dangerous cases should force them to report the child’s comments to the parents: development of eating disorders, trough, risky behavior, suicidal tendencies …

Grandparents play a role in transmitting values ​​to the child, such as moral principles or the attachment to a healthy diet, for example. They embody another era, where time is taken differently. The screens, omnipresent in the life of the child, do not occupy as much space. This gives the child a break from the virtual, and encourages him to put into perspective, even reluctantly, the importance of cell phones, computers and tablets.

It is often the grandparents who learn specific skills: cooking, knitting, gardening, fishing … These common activities allow exchanges and discussions, where the child can express himself, and observe adults. with different convictions and lifestyles than what he knows in his home.

If grandparents represent a place of welcome and affection, they should not take the place of parents, much less compete with them. This balance is sometimes difficult to find. Invasive grandparents, who give their opinion on everything, disagreeing with the education promulgated by their daughter-in-law or their son-in-law …

There can be many problematic cases. It is essential that grandparents learn to keep the right distance, and to respect the educational choices of their children. Often there is a great temptation to think that they are older and therefore better informed. It is necessary to sweep this assertion aside, otherwise they will experience conflicts, which will ultimately affect their relationship with the grandchildren. Sometimes it’s up to parents to reframe grandparents if they impose their own rules.

One principle prevails: grandparents should never blame parents in front of the grandchild.

If the child has a lot to learn from his grandparents, the reverse is also true. Grandparents should take advantage of this incredible opportunity to stay in touch with a generation and era that are no longer theirs. The child can thus explain to them how to use such or such application which will facilitate their daily life, whether it is to send photos, to book a train ticket or to check the weather forecast …

Grandparents generally play a primordial role in the formation of the child, which involves listening and dialogue, learning and the transmission of know-how and family heritage. It remains to find the right formula so that they do not come between the child and the parents!