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Giving grandchildren the gift of a |
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By Dr . Josh Mulvihill |
education |
What is a grandparent ’ s role in a grandchild ’ s education ? Many grandparents have never considered that Christian education can be an impactful way to make a spiritual investment in a grandchild ’ s life . For many grandparents , educational involvement with a grandchild is limited to attendance at Grandparent ’ s Day . While attendance at Grandparent ’ s Day is a good thing , I hope this article gives you a much grander vision for the role you play in your grandchild ’ s education .
To begin , I want to point out that American culture communicates powerful messages about what grandparents can and cannot do with the family . Society operates by unwritten rules expecting grandparents to maintain emotional and financial independence , personal autonomy ,
as well as non-interference with their family . Grandparents are told not to meddle in their adult children ’ s lives and are often kept at a distance .
I ’ m sure you can see how this applies to a grandchild ’ s education . American society is telling grandparents that this is none of their business . And many grandparents have heard that message loud and clear and reduced their presence to emotional support , an extra-special babysitting service , and the dispenser of large amounts of sugar . There are two problems with this thinking . First , grandparents who accept this role have greatly limited the likelihood of leaving any significant , lasting spiritual impact on their grandchild ’ s life . Second , this isn ’ t the role God has given grandparents in the Bible .
38 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW