Sept 7, 2008 marks Grandparents’ Day in the United States. While this innocuous holiday is overlooked by most of the population, those with children understand just how important it is to honor the family members who not only raised us to be parents, but love our children as dearly as we do. This year, find a gift idea that is truly special.

Picture Collage
Grandparents love pictures, but on this special occasion don’t just present them with snapshots. Create a full picture collage of a special event, a single photo shoot or perhaps a montage of photos showing your children together with their grandparents.

Grandparent Letter
Your baby might not be able to speak a word, but you can help put words in her mouth. On a heavy sheet of paper, write a short letter thanking your parents for all they do in the life of your child. Write it from your little one’s perspective and then sign it with her handprint.

Figurine
There is something especially meaningful in the beautiful figurines of parents and grandparents with children. These mementos are always a perfect gift, but there is no better time to find a beautiful statue of a grandmother and child than Grandparents’ Day.

Grandparents have an incredibly special place in the family. Not only do grandparents love their grandchildren freely and openly, they are also free to enjoy the children without having to worry about actually raising them – in most cases.

Grandparents have seen much of the world and lived through times their grandchildren can only dream of. For this reason, the perfect gift for grandparents to share with their grandchildren is the gift of a legacy.

A legacy can take many forms, but it boils down to something that can be passed down through the generations that holds memories, traditions and stories. To create a simple legacy, you might purchase a grandparent’s book, similar to a baby book, and start jotting down your earliest memories and important events you bore witness to.

Think of how fascinating it would be to know how your own grandparents did in school, what they learned, what their hobbies were and how their lives were in general. You are in the position to share this information with your own grandchildren and should – be it written down or recorded on a tape or CD.

A study was recently performed in the United Kingdom that has very applicable meaning around the world. The study by Oxford University found that grandparents who are actively involved in a child’s life have an incredibly important role that can increase a child’s security and well being.

For a grandparent to have such a profound impact on a child, the older adult must take an active role. That means she’s not just loving on her grandchildren, but she’s showing that love by taking them to the neighborhood swimming pool, taking Junior to soccer practice on occasion and cheering the loudest at the weekend games.

The study found what most parents already know. When two parents are working, there are gaps in how much the parents can do with the children. Active grandparents fill these gaps making the child extra secure in the amount of love and support he has from all the caring adults in his life.

Even children whose parents divorce fair much better both in the short run and long run as they have a soft layer of protection in the form of their grandparents. Further, grandparents are vital as children age. Older children and adolescences are more prone to tell their thoughts and feelings to grandparents than their parents.

If you have active grandparents living nearby, count your blessings many times over.

A trip to Grandmother’s house is fraught with treats, adventures and very real dangers. Grandparents love their grandchildren dearly, but often fail to prepare their homes for the exploring and destruction that children bring. If you’re on your way to Grandma’s house, be prepared to keep your children safe.

Inside

Inside your parent’s home, there are the kinds of dangers you very carefully removed from your own. Grandparents are unlikely to crawl on the floor in search of enticing wires or dropped coins. They may be completely unaware of the mothballs on the floor of a closet or the cleaning supplies casually stored under the sink.

Your parents might be unaware, but you aren’t. When you arrive with your children, make a sweep of the house. Open cabinets and peek in closets. If you see something dangerous, either shut the door and declare the room off limits or resolve the situation. Pick up and move small items and breakables. Hide cords and unplug unnecessary items. Block the stairs with a baby gate you brought specifically for that purpose.

And while you are doing your baby proofing, explain to your parents what you are doing and why. It’s been many years since they have had a baby or toddler who enjoy eating the flies off the windowsills or throwing handfuls of dirt from the potted plants. As a final resort bring a play pen or enclosure of baby gates to keep your little one away from temptation when you’re not able to watch him like a hawk.

Outside

Outside of the home can be just as dangerous as the inside. Unprotected swimming pools, flower beds, porches and unfamiliar pets present potentially serious problems. If your parents have a swimming pool without a gate, keep your children inside or allow them outside only when you are present. Don’t assume your parents can move as well as you can if there was some sort of emergency.

Help your child meet any animals, and stress that she not pet the dog or give him hugs. In fact, leaving the dog in a room away from your child is probably the safest option. Animals that live with grandparents are often spoiled and will see no harm in hopping in your toddler’s lap or jumping up for attention. They are also unfamiliar with little ones and might snap if cornered or “petted” too enthusiastically.

Educate

Be sure to educate your parents on things that have changed or they might have forgotten since their own days of child rearing. You know your child best, and your parents should respect your knowledge and preference. Spoiling is not the same as endangering. Let your child lavish in her grandparent’s attention and affection, but keep a close eye on her to be sure she does so safely.

When its time to leave your baby, who better to trust with your precious little one than your own parents? Grandparents love your children in a way similar to your own love. They enjoy the company of their grandchildren and you know exactly how experienced they are in child rearing. So why would a grandparent not be the ideal babysitting solution?

They Don’t Take Instructions

A lot has changed since you were a child. Babies now sleep on their backs, and we know that breastfeeding is best. Your parents lovingly raised you, and some may not see why they have to change their ways just to conform to the times – no matter how scientifically based the rationale.

A neighborhood teenager, however, presumably has taken a babysitting class and is certified in first aid. They might have a better understanding of current methods and, if nothing else, are working for you. They are receptive to instructions and might be more likely to do as you ask than your own parents who still consider you their little one rather than an informed parent in your own right.

They Aren’t Convenient

Many grandparents don’t live in the same town as their grandchildren. This poses an obvious problem to babysitting. Even those grandparents who live nearby might not be as convenient as bringing in a babysitter from the neighborhood.

Most grandparents prefer to stay in their own homes. You might feel a bit uncomfortable with your mother alone in your house checking up on your cleaning and laundry skills. You either have to drive your children over to your parents’ home or scrub in anticipation of their visit to yours. The trouble moving sleeping little ones from one house to another might be another reason to simply keep them at home.

They Aren’t Up for the Challenge

As much as they would love to spend time with their grandchildren, some adults of the previous generation are no longer physically able to keep up with a toddler or heft around an infant.

You might not feel confident that your parents can move fast enough to catch your running toddler or be strong enough to lift a sleeping baby in and out of the crib. If this is the case, visit your parents frequently, but leave the heavy duty child care to someone a bit younger and more physically capable.

New parents are often a bit (or very) overwhelmed by all that a new baby entails. No matter how many books or websites you’ve read, there are always things that throw you for a loop. Times like these require the real expert, someone who’s been there before and survived – the grandmother.

The Grandmother

Many women wait anxiously to be a grandmother once their own children are raised and out of the nest. A grandmother has a chance to enjoy and love another child as much as she did her own, but with the knowledge she gained over years as well as the ability to send the baby home at the end of the visit. Grandmothers are critical for many new parents in terms of knowledge and support.

Grandmother’s Knowledge

Grandmothers may not know the absolute latest scientific breakthroughs, but they know what aspects of that new baby came from you. Perhaps your little one has colic the same way you did. Countless times grandmothers have been called for frantic reassurance that everything your baby is doing is perfectly normal and, in fact, you did it yourself as a baby.

Grandmothers have also been through the childrearing process at least once – she had you, didn’t she? Some things just come back naturally when an experienced mother of any age has a child placed in her arms. Your mother may surprise you with her uncanny ability to soothe a fussy baby, whip up a bottle in lightning time and elicit a burp you were sure would never come out. Better yet – she can teach you these tricks of the trade.

Grandmother’s Support

For many new parents, their child is much too precious to be left with just anyone. One of the few universal caregivers accepted by new parents is the grandmother. After all, she’s done this successfully before. The same can’t be said for the teenager across the street. Grandmothers are sure to love and snuggle our baby as much as she need to be loved and snuggled, and grandmothers have no problem sitting with baby in the rocking chair for hours on end – in fact, that may be exactly what she wanted to do in the first place.

There is really no substitute for grandparents. Not only did your parents love you with their whole being, but now that you have your own child, you can truly appreciate the depth of that caring. The best part of the deal is, however, not only does your mother still love you with all her heart, body and soul- she loves your baby just as much.

In history and still in some societies today, family units lived and worked side by side. In many industrialized countries, however, these family units have separated and children may be separated by hundreds or thousands of miles from their grandparents. Despite the distance, this relationship between grandchildren and their grandparents is much too valuable to write off. Parents and grandparents must find a way to bridge the gap.

The Power of a Relationship

Grandparents have a special place in the hearts of their grandchildren. The older generation has succeeded in raising the next, and is now able to simply enjoy the fruits of their labor. The difficulties of parenthood are left to children’s parents, and grandparents relish the role of being nurturing, loving adults who might have a tendency to spoil their grandkids just a bit.

Children learn from adults, and the more contact they have with adults at varying ages, the more developed their personal experiences will be. By interacting with grandparents, children are able to gain knowledge about events and lives before their own existence as well as gain perspective on basic communication skills. Of course, the greatest gift grandparents offer children is a bit more of that precious, unconditional love we all so desperately need.

Ways to Bridge the Gap

But what do you do when grandparents live hundreds or even thousands of miles away? They may not be around for routine fishing trips or cuddles. How do they stay involved? Fortunately, there are solutions – some old, some new.

In the not too distant past, phone calls, letters and visits were the standard procedures for families separated by distance. Today these methods are still highly effective, but technology has opened new avenues of communication. Emails, digital photos and videos, chat and instant messaging as well as video conferencing can help bridge the gap as well.

Communication is the key to building a relationship, especially a long distance one. Even infants can now see and “speak” with their grandparents over video phones or through the computer. Grandparents can stay up with all the latest happenings with grandchildren through digital pictures, blogs or even websites set up specifically for this purpose.

Older children chat online or speak on the phone with grandparents on a regular basis to build relationships. Other grandparents are regular correspondents with their grandkids via email. The same stories and advice can be given through a personal conversation in person, on the phone or through the computer. Staying connected is key.

Travel is still the only way to physically bring grandparents and grandchildren together. Fortunately, there are a great many travel options available and extended family vacations have gained substantially in popularity. Taking the entire family on a cruise or camping trip at a midpoint between the two homes gives everyone time to bond while having fun. Inexpensive flights make it possible for either side to drop in for a weekend or at the last minute.

Even if travel is out of the question, it is extremely possible, and even probable that a close relationship will be built if both parties work at it and stay connected. Phone, email, chat and websites are great, but they are simply a means to do what is most important - share thoughts and love with the people we care about the most, family.