Raising Our Kids Close To Their Grandparents Is The Greatest Gift We Can Give Them

Jun 18, 2019 by apost team

Grandparents have been playing a vital role in the lives of their grandchildren for thousands of years. In cultures throughout the world, stories and legends abound about the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. And it's no wonder! These two generations are linked together in a such a unique way.

The latest research backs up the importance of kids forming a close relationship with their grandparents. Both parents and grandparents can benefit from making sure that children develop these close-knit family ties with their grandparents. In fact, raising kids in close proximity to their grandmas and grandpas is a tremendous benefit to both grandparents and grandkids. Listed below are some of the fascinating details the research uncovered.

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From the year 1985 to the year 2004, over 350 grandparents and over 350 of their adult grandchildren were interviewed as part of an ongoing study. This study by Boston College was published online in the journal The Gerontologist in 2014 and looked closely at 374 grandparents and 356 adult grandchildren who were taking part in the Longitudinal Study of Generations. The research indicated that kids who have developed a strong emotional bond with their grandma and grandpa have far lower rates of depression in adulthood than those who don't develop that bond. In fact, the grandparents involved in the study who had a close relationship with their grandkids were less depressed as well. Another study done at the University of Oxford revealed that 11 to 16-year-old kids who had a good relationship with their grandparents were also less prone to depression. 

Emotional intelligence is the name psychologists give to the ability to pick up on and act appropriately to the emotional cues of others. It also refers to awareness of one's own emotions. People with high levels of emotional intelligence are even more likely to land successful jobs as well as find happiness in their personal lives than those with high mental intelligence. Since kids pick up emotional intelligence by interacting with those from different backgrounds and generations, it makes sense that spending quality time with grandparents can dramatically increase a child's emotional intelligence levels. This statement was backed up by a study done by Pace University that closely looked at the emotional intelligence of 186 adults. The researcher, Hillary Goldstein, found that the adults who as kids were close to their grandparents had higher EQs in their adult years.

Grandparents who spend time with their grandkids regularly tend to grow even more loving and affectionate as the years go by. This is especially true for grandpas. While a study done at the University of Stavanger, Norway, indicates that grandmothers tend to have a closer and more loving role with grandchildren in general than grandfathers do, the study also established that over time grandpas can start to catch up. In fact, once they hit their 60's and 70's, grandpas begin to grow much more involved in playing with their grandkids.

One of the surprising results of research into the grandchild-grandparent relationship is its impact on how long a grandparent will live. According to research that looked at data from the Berlin Aging Study, those with greater involvement with their grandkids actually lived longer on average than those who weren't. This was especially true of those who provided care for their grandchildren on a regular basis when compared to those who didn't babysit their grandchildren regularly. Research of 500 grandparents in the 70+ age range showed that those who didn't frequently babysit their grandchildren were at greater risk of death than those who did.

Those conducting the study attributed the greater longevity of involved grandparents to the mental stimulation and the feeling of being needed that grandparents who watch their kids tend to experience compared to those who don't. Rather than sending them to an early grave by them by wearing them out, it would seem that extra time with the grandkids can actually help grandparents live longer!

The bottom line is that the grandparent-grandchild relationship is one of the most significant of all human relationships. It's one that, under normal circumstances, should be encouraged and celebrated.

Do you agree with the findings of this research? Have you seen the importance of the grandparent-grandchild relationship in your own life? Let us know your thoughts! Pass this article along to the grandchildren, parents, and grandparents out there who would be interested to learn about this fascinating study!

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation by your doctor. Your health is important to us!