"Grandparenting with a Capital "G"

I’m a grandparent. A large percentage of my friends are grandparents. It is a role we wouldn’t trade for anything, but sometimes, there are some rough patches in the road. If we’re long distance, there is the sorrow of not seeing them very often. You wonder in your heart if they will really get to know you, or if you’ll really get to know them. Even if they’re only an hour away, chances are you don’t see them as often as you like. Yes, quality time is important, but so is quantity time. So what do we do? We Facetime, and we Skype. We resolve to stay connected in any way we can. That’s why I offer to you my book, Long Distance Grandma. It offers many ideas of staying connected with all ages of grandchildren.You may order it from me, or from Amazon. I want you to stay connected so that quantity balances the scales with quality.

Then there are my friends who are not only grandparents, but have been called into super-big grandparenting shoes. These are the grandparents who have stepped into raising or being caregivers for their grandchildren. First, consider they are older and don’t have the energy they used to. Yet God and the circumstances of life have deemed they are needed for this all important grandparenting role—and retirement is put on the back burner. It even puts an added financial stress on those who are living on their social security. There are a myriad of reasons that might have cast you into this role—children dying in young adulthood, or adult children choosing not to be responsible, etc. Caregivers for grandchildren do so to help the parents. Jobs no longer pay as well, and daycares can be expensive. What can I say to you when I’ve never walked in your shoes? I know that God will bless you for your faithfulness to your family—to your innocent grandchildren.

And through the years—if we love deeply—we will pray. The more children and grandchildren you have, the greater the need for prayer. We lift them up by name and ask God to protect them, to help them with their needs? How do we know their needs? We have to stay connected with grandchildren both near and far. The needs will change with the years, and you’ll see prayer after prayer answered. Gather two or three grandparents or sets of grandparents together weekly to solely pray for each other’s grandchildren. We have the promise that where two or three are gathered together, He is with them (Matthew 18:20).  Don’t neglect praying for your family. It is one of the most important things you will ever do. You will be blessed along with your family. They need our emotional, physical, and spiritual support.