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Grandparents adapt to change and changing by looking and thinking with an open mind. |
Grandparenting is ever-changing! My granddaughter starts using a computer at the age of two. My six-year-old grandson asks my husband what a f...ing bit.. is. My divorced son lives with his girlfriend and her daughter. They have his two children on alternate week-ends. My unmarried daughter talks of wanting a child but having no use for a husband. My grandmother or grandfather would not be able to handle this much change. Sometimes, I wonder about me, too. We are grandparents in a changing world, one that is changing so fast that we will be left behind unless we make a conscious effort to learn, adapt, become open-minded, and reduce the shock-factor by changing. We have to make an effort to know where this generation is coming from in order to give them the best of our love and understanding. How can we do this? I doubt if I'll spend too many days attending concerts or learning rap-speak. I am not likely to visit what I consider the fringe of today, but I can read about them and their views with an open mind. I don't comment on my grandson's haircut or the unusual diet of my granddaughter. I find something pleasant to say about my granddaughter's attire or I keep quiet. And I keep reading, to open my mind. I prod my spouse to try new things: such as leaving messages on answering machines--just to show you how far I have to prod! |
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