Grandchildren love their grandparents. In fact, grandparents are their whole world. However, what’s so special in grandparents that children prefer them over their own parents? At least some of them do!
You must have guessed why I am writing about grandparents. Yes, the National Grandparents Day of United States is just round the corner.
People celebrate Grandparents Day all over the world on different dates, but this post was inspired by the previous post on Aha!NOW.
Halreena wrote a post on Teachers and Teachers Day. Not surprisingly, in their comments, many readers attributed their parents and grandparents as being their best teachers in life.
Now, aren’t grandparents really special people? They are better teachers and even better parents for many grandchildren.
Grandparents are more than that – read this post on the role of grandparents in the family to know what other aspects of life grandparents excel in and their role in our lives.
How can these “old” people still be as valuable as gold? I know you would say, why not, because “old is gold”!
If you are a grandparent and somebody tells you that you are old, you can reply saying you are Gold – old grandparents are more valuable than the real gold.
You see we humans are like wine – we get better with age, do you agree?
Grandparents are fully seasoned and grown adults, with highly developed hearts and a rich experienced life.
So, what can we learn from grandparents?
DO READ : Why are Grandparents Parenting Grandchildren
Learning from Grandparents
I remember that I used to spend a good part of my annual summer holidays regularly at my grandparent’s place. I used to love it over there.
Those days spent with my grandparents are still vivid in my memory, as being one of the best periods in my life.
Why was it so? Well, I had the freedom to be as and what I wanted, I was given what I asked for, I was cared for and loved without being asked about anything, even if I made blunders.
Thank goodness for grandparents, as you get softer, kinder, and warmer treatments being with them.
Times have changed. I am a parent now. Looking back at those days, I don’t think I’m being with my children how my grandparents were with me.
I guess that happens with time as we change our roles. Most probably, I will become like my grandparents, and my children will become more like me.
Coming back to the focus of this post, mentioned below are some of the lessons I learned from my grandparents.
A Dozen Lessons of Life to Learn from Grandparents
Be Good
You will mostly find that grandparents are kind and compassionate. They are good, and that is the main reason why grandchildren like them.
In fact, if you are good, everybody will like you. Being good in your thoughts, words, and actions, will also make you feel good!
Be Content
My grandparents were cool and calm. They had all the patience in the world and were content with their life and belongings.
Probably, having limited desires and expectations bring you more happiness in life. Take life as it comes, don’t panic.
Be Yourself
Did your grandparents copy or impersonate someone else? No, they were originals, weren’t they?
After all the years, they knew that liking and loving yourself, and being yourself is the way to be confident and comfortable. Find the real you, from within.
Be Jovial
I bet that your grandparents were the most humorous people you met, they are fun to be with! Though not necessarily.
At least they know that being happy and making light of life’s events makes you less stressed, or enables you to cope with stress in life. More so, you can only enjoy the moments of life if you are happy.
Be Social
Probably you can say that most grandparents have more time to spare because they have completed their duties as parents and have ample time in hand now. So they get social in the real sense – getting involved in social or community activities and service.
Also, being social in terms of interaction help you remain connected, lively, and fresh in your heart and mind. Social would mean meeting friends and being with family, so always encourage family get together as those times are precious.
Be Giving
Of course, grandparents would not ever let you go empty-handed – they always have something to offer you, whether it is cookies, chocolates, or even hugs!
They give you their time, their shoulder for you to lean upon, their ears to listen to your talks and woes, and so much more. You’ll feel good living, if you’re giving – that’s the joy of giving.
Be Caring
Grandparents demonstrate the real way of caring, by being selfless love and understanding all our needs.
They know that the world out there is rough and tough, and you deserve consolation to lift your spirits up. Caring also creates bonds, faith, and loving relations.
Be Loving
Loving words rather than punishments work. How many grandparents do you see punishing their grandchildren in whatever ways? They know what it takes to develop an effective rapport – unconditional love.
This is one reason why grandchildren have absolute faith in their grandparents and confide in or prefer to seek support from them, rather than their own parents.
Be Inspiring
My grandfather told me tales of his hardships when I was young. Those talks directly embedded in my core, and I was inspired by his determination and passion in life. I saw my grandmother working hard and serving all others selflessly.
I subconsciously made up my mind to be like them. You too should live a life that can inspire others to follow you.
Be Non-judgmental
I know that my grandparents never judged their grandchildren, nor even themselves when it came to grand parenting.
I guess that is the reason they were always relaxed, because they had no regrets or guilt about being bad in their job. They just took everything in their stride and moved on.
Be Wise
With knowledge and experience, you become more mature. You don’t let your ego create hurdles. Grandparents know that situations pass, darkness isn’t forever and children too will change with time.
Instead of reacting negatively and confronting, they prefer to reason and are understanding. Wisdom settles all your worries.
Be a Visionary
Grandparents understand the force and speed of time, and know that their grandchildren will grow out soon. They know life is short, so they should live fully, make the best of every moment, and make up with others.
Forgive, forget, and forge ahead to the future is their mantra. Each happy moment in the present will create a pool of happiness in the future.
MUST READ : What Challenges Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Face
Our grandparents teach us much more. They are the epitome of leading an enriched life, the ones who live the life as it should be lived. Grandparents are said to lay the foundation for the next generation.
You can read more about what you can learn from your grandparents from around the web, here and here.
I understand that not all of these qualities can be attributed to all grandparents because individual differences are always there, and people have varied learning experiences in life.
However, most grandparents know better than the young ones to live life the right way.
You need to take these lessons from their life and graft them into your life, without waiting to become a grandparent yourself to learn them.
It’s wise and being smart to learn from the failures, success, and the lessons of life of others and save yourself from wasting time learning them and making mistakes. However, that way of learning also has its own advantages.
I’ll leave that for some other post and end this post here by thanking my grandparents, and all the grandparents and seniors around the world for imparting beautiful lessons of life and being our life teachers.
Celebrate this Grandparents Day by giving all the love and respect to your grandparents.
It’s time to giveback and show them what you learned about life from them. That will be the best gift they will love – give them your time, listen to them, share their memories, show that you care, and let them know that they are loved.
On another note, Harleena is taking the children to meet their grandfather as he nears his 75th birthday and will be back on 15th September. I am sure he is going to be a happy grandfather to be with his grandkids.
Wishing ALL of you a very Happy Grandparents Day, well in advance. 🙂
(The Aha!NOW guest post giveaway results are declared. Check them out here.)
Share Your Thoughts –
What did you learn from your grandparents? How did you spend your time with them? What have you planned for them for this Grandparents Day?
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