Bonita Bay Now Winter 2021 | Page 28

Can Grandparents Save The World ?

INSTILLING THE RIGHT MINDSET FROM AN EARLY AGE
RICHARD EYRE & LINDA EYRE
STATISTICS TELL US that if you are a baby boomer , you likely have another 20 to 30 good years ahead of you and that you probably have grandkids whom you consider to be the best part of this “ autumn of life .” ( They don ’ t call it grandparenting for nothing !) The question is , how much time and mental energy will you expend on these living legacies ? How high will you prioritize them and how proactive and deliberate will you be as a grandparent ? And where do you go to learn the art of effective but unobtrusive grandparenting ?
We basically believe that grandpas and grandmas can save the world — and have a lot of fun doing it .
When someone asks , “ Who is going to teach this generation of children the values , the character , the family narrative , even the street smarts that they will need ?” most would answer , “ The parents .” But in today ’ s world , where most parents work full time and where life and all its demands seems to increase exponentially , who is to say that parents will find the time or have the means to give their kids all that they need ?
So who else can possibly do it ?
And who will give kids the confidence , the identity , and maybe even the resources they need to become all they can
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