GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020 - 10

grandkids matter

One of the main purposes for the survey was to
get a picture of how grandparents are (or were) handling the social distancing and travel restrictions
caused by COVID-19, and there were some significant
insights surrounding a question about how the pandemic has changed their relationships with their
grandchildren.
* 42% of the grandparents agreed that their relationship with their grandchildren "stayed the same."
* 31% of the grandparents reported that their relationship with their grandchildren "became stronger."
* 27% reported that it "became weaker."
A few more specifics related to this question:
* The "became weaker" group also tended to score
lower in health, well-being, and family/life satisfaction
scores; they were more likely to feel depressed, tired
and hopeless.
* Younger grandparents (age 45-54) were significantly more likely to "become stronger" in their
10 GRAND

FALL 2020

relationship with their grandchildren compared to
older grandparents (age 64-72).
This survey has reinforced the fact that our grandparenting role is often affected by other areas of life-
our physical health, mental outlook, emotional state,
and so on. And if we see ourselves in these survey
results, good or bad, it's up to each of us to take the
unique situation before us, with all the various blessings and challenges, and make the best of it.
How have grandparents done that? One of the
open-ended questions in the survey addressed that:
What behaviors or activities have been most helpful to you and your household in keeping perspective during the pandemic?
Here's a sampling of some of the responses we
received:
"Living in gratitude."

"Staying away from network news."
"I love that we have had more time to actually be
a family without the hustle and bustle of school and
after-school activities and ballet."
"Boating and Netflix!"
"Simple pleasures: ice cream breaks. We can swing
again! Picnics, blowing bubbles, short road trips."
The most common responses can be summarized in
these three suggestions:
Stay busy & active with hobbies, music, cooking,
reading, walking, riding bicycles, gardening, and so on.
Maybe it's a chance to learn something new!
Do what you can to stay connected to your grandchildren and other family: Zoom, Facetime, texting,
and any other modes of communication.
Hold on to what is meaningful. Find ways to reinforce the vital importance of virtues and practices like:
faith, hope, friends and community.
This pandemic has required some big adjustments.
We've missed out on some events and experiences
that we looked forward to. But even in the darkest of
times, please don't give up. Stay faithful and engaged.
Your grandchildren need your consistent presence and
love in whatever amounts you're able to give.

Ken R. Canfield is the founder of Grandkids
Matter. Dr. Canfield started the National
Center for Fathering in 1990, , and became a
grandfather in 2006, which prompted him to
found Grandkids Matter,
www.grandkidsmatter.
org. He's a joyfilled
granddad of
14 grandchildren.

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GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Fall 2020