Having strong and healthy relationships with family members can be a real benefit in people’s lives. And while you might have a great relationship with your parents and with your kids, those two groups might have a hard time building their own relationships together without a little help from you.
If this is something you’re wanting to encourage with the people you love, here are three ways you can help your kids develop a meaningful relationship with their grandparents.
Encourage Your Teens To Teach Their Grandparents About Technology
If you missed out on some opportunities to help your kids develop a relationship with their grandparents when they were little, you can still make up for that lost time now that they’re teens.
One great way to do this is to have your teens teach their grandparents about how to communicate with them using technology. Especially if their grandparent is in an assisted living facility, having a way to reach out to your children or to you when they feel lonely can be a great way to offer them support. And since your teens likely know a lot more about this than even you do, they can be great teachers for getting their grandparents up to speed.
Invite Grandparents Into Your World
Whether your kids are teens or are still in their younger years, you can help facilitate a relationship between these two by allowing and even inviting your parents into the life of your young family.
Many times, grandparents would love to be more involved if they only knew how to do this without stepping on anyone’s toes. So if you’re feeling like you’d love for a stronger relationship to develop between your kids and your parents, try doing things like holding family dinners on occasion, inviting grandparents to important events for your kids, and just asking grandparents to come by for visits.
Suggest They Spend Some Time One-On-One
Once your children are starting to develop a relationship with your parents and begin feeling comfortable around each other, you might want to suggest that they spend some time together one-on-one. It’s really in these moments that your kids and your parents will be able to make a bond that’s truly theirs. Otherwise, your kids or your parents might feel like they need you to be there as a buffer. But if they are given the chance to just spend time with one another, memories and meaningful relationships can be deeply formed.
If you’re wanting your kids and your parents to get to know each other better and develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship together, consider using the tips mentioned above to help facilitate this on both sides.
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