by Carol Gioia

Created on: August 10, 2008   Last Updated: August 22, 2008

Grandparents can play a vital role in early childhood development and continue to enrich children's lives throughout their formative years.

As parents, we are responsible for nurturing our children's physical, emotional and intellectual needs. We are responsible for providing education and instilling morals and values to insure our childrn grow up to be well adjusted and productive members of society. This is a tall order and often produces stress and anxiety as we attempt to balance our parental goals for our children with healthy doses of unconditional love.

Grandparents have none of these stresses. They are not required to have expectations for their grandchildren's futures; that is the role of the parents. As grandparents, they are free to shower their grandchildren with unqualified and boundless love, affection and acceptance.

A primary role of the grandparent is to support the parents in their endeavor to successfully rear the next generation. They can reinforce the parents' morals and values and share their own childrearing methods and techniques, when warranted and appropriate.

Grandparents can be a great source of reassurance to their adult children, administering moral support, and sometimes if necessary and available, financial support. They can assist with childcare, if called upon, being vigilant not to usurp the parent's pivotal and primary role in the child's life.

Other important roles the grandparents can assume in the child's life:

- Auxiliary Nurturer -

No one will love a child with so much fervor and nurturing as the grandparents. Grandparents enjoy their grandchildren for who they are in the present, with no designs on their future, and can shower them with unequaled affection and attention. Children with doting grandparents experience an extra boost to their self esteem.

- Confidante -

Even the very youngest child will know instinctively that he can trust the grandparents. Secrets will be divulged, dreams and goals revealed and fantasies expressed to the best listeners of all; the grandparents. Patience, encouragement and applause are the grandparents' forte. Your child will shine in the light of his grandparents' approval and love.

- Playmate -

Grandparents will take the time and opportunity to be your child's grown up best friend. The relationship between the two generations will exude pure joy and fun. Grandparents revel in being the ones to introduce new experiences to their grandchildren. They will spare no time and expense for the opportunity

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