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Archive for the ‘Grandparenting’ Category

Grandparents Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day.  For 2010, it will be on September 12th.  Grandparents Day was initiated by Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade (1917-2008) , a mother of 15 from West Virginia.  When Marian McQuade was a child, she often visited her grandmother’s farm in West Virginia, and accompanied her grandmother to visit elderly people in the community.  That was how she developed her love and respect for the elderly.  In 1970, Marian McQuade started a campaign to establish a special day to honor grandparents.  The first Grandparents Day was proclaimed in West Virginia in 1973,  and the first National Grandparents Day was celebrated on Sunday, September 9, 1979.

Grandparents Day provides an opportunity to honor grandparents;  for grandparents to show their love for their children’s children; and for children to become aware of the strength, information and guidance older people can offer.  One great way to show love and respect for grandparents is to send them grandparents gifts. You can select gifts for grandparents according to their lifestyle, hobbies, and health status.  This article provides 9 grandparents gift ideas. 

1.  Fruit Baskets:
Fruit baskets are healthy gifts appropriate for adults of any age.  Fruits like oranges, apples, pears are full of antioxidants and fibers that help prevent cardiac diseases and lower cholesterol level.  Some fruit baskets come with nuts, dried fruits, chocolate brownies, cookies and crackers for additional variety. 

2.  Gourmet Gift Baskets:
For grandparents with no dietary restrictions, gourmet gift baskets are great choices.  For example. you can send a basket filled with gourmet delicacies, including peanut butter filled pretzel nuggets, Bavaria summer sausage, savory smoked salmon, gourmet hot pepper cheese, delicious water crackers with a jar of gourmet mini mustard, roasted pistachios and snack mix. This gift Will be well received by grandma and grandpa.

3.  Heart Healthy Gift Basket:
For grandparents on low fat diet, you can send them a heart healthy gift basket.  Filled with Planters mixed nuts, V8 Splash fruit drinks, Healthy Choice granola snack bars, tropical trail mix, lemon buds sour candies, grained mustard, low fat pretzels, low fat soy garlic and herb crackers, low fat vegetable spread and dip, and low fat herb vegetable crackers, this basket brings gifts of good health to grandpa and grandma. 

4.  Sugar Free Gift Basket:
For grandparents who cannot have sugar in their food, you can send them a sugar free gift basket. This way, they can still enjoy their favorite treats.

5.  Golf Gift:
Many grandparents are actively involved in sports.  If grandpa plays golf, you can send him a golf gift basket filled with an array of tasty gourmet treats and a few golfing gadgets.  Grandpa will remember you whenever he is out on the links.

6.  Fishing Gift Basket:
If grandpa enjoys fishing, you can send him a fishing gift basket that has a built-in 5 compartment top organizer with a see-through lid and includes items he can really use. Includes a safety key chain with compass, whistle and flashlight; multi-function stainless steel pocket knife with bottle opener, can opener, can reamer, knife, scissors, corkscrew, nail file, nail cleaner, phillips screwdriver; two fishing floats; and two fishing lures. Also tucked inside the compartments are gourmet goodies for his fishing trip, and a sports water bottle with a rubber grip. 

7.  Yoga Spa Gift Basket:
If grandma likes to practice yoga, you can send her a yoga spa gift basket. The basket contains a fully illustrated Yoga book as well as an instructional DVD for beginners and advanced Yoga enthusiasts. The soothing combination of bath mitt, bath pillow, fingernail bristle brush, back scrubber, green tea foaming bath fizzies, as well as the aromatherapy candles and chocolate truffles will help grandma to relax.

8.  Personalized Picture Frame:
If you prefer a personalized gift, you can send grandma and grandpa a personalized picture frame, along with their favorite picture with you.  They will be sure to treasure the picture and frame for years to come. 

9.  Personalized Coffee Mug:
Alternatively, you can send them a personalized coffee mug which they can use for their hot beverages.

In summary, love and respect for the elderly is the foundation of family values.  Sending gifts to grandparents (or  your children’s grandparents) not only allows you to show how much you care about them, but allows your children to be more aware of this family value. You can select gifts for grandparents according to their lifestyle, hobby, and health status.      
 

Have you taken the time to celebrate your grandparents recently? If you reflect on the positive and happy times they bring to your life, you’ll probably have a lot of good memories. Grandparents always have infinite wisdom because they have so much life experience under their belt – and thus offer much care and wisdom to their grandchildren. Grandparents’ Day creates awareness and appreciation of our elders and our families. The day is a perfect opportunity for grandchildren country-wide to acknowledge the influence their grandparents have had on their lives.

In South Africa, Grandparents’ Day is held on the first Sunday of October each year. Knowledge of heritage and family history is an important part of our development as individuals, and much of this can be learned through spending time with grandparents. This special day reminds us of this – after all, society exists in a fast-paced world, and many of us have little time to pay attention to traditional features like history and family.

Those who celebrate Grandparents’ Day can take note of the lives of their elders. You too can celebrate this special day with family and give meaningful gifts as a gesture of appreciation and respect. Flowers for Grandparents’ Day are a popular token of your affection. Order a bouquet of flowers for your grandparents now, and show your affection through this thoughtful gift.

History of Grandparents’ Day
The story behind Grandparents’ Day began in the United States in the unique area of Fayette County, home to the New River Gorge National River. The first Grandparents’ Day was held in 1973 in West Virginia, and was established by Marian McQuade and her husband. The couple had 15 children, 40 grandchildren and 8 great-grand children.

In 1970, McQuade began campaigning for an annual grandparents’ day – a day that would recognise and celebrate grandparents around the country. Leaders from businesses, churches, civic and political organisations helped to promote the campaign across the entire state, and soon, even the media was involved. McQuade also contacted governors, senators and congressmen across America, as well as organisations connected with the elderly. By 1978, the first Sunday after Labor Day became National Grandparents’ Day. South Africa followed suit in 1996 and proclaimed the first Sunday in October Grandparents’ Day.

Activities on Grandparents’ Day
Grandparents’ Day aims to strengthen the bond between young people and their grandparents, and so family-orientated activities are great entertainment.

Those belonging to older generations are skilled in areas which may not be so relevant in the busy lifestyles of today, yet are very important as part of family and cultural heritage. Endeavours such as cookery, needlework and knitting, playing musical instruments and other forms of entertainment have begun to work their way out of society since the introduction of televisions, game consoles and computers.

Schools and religious institutions can also become involved in the celebration of Grandparents’ Day, and in helping children to understand their family histories and the importance of respect for elders.

Our grandparents represent a different way of life. The standards of living, beliefs and technological advancements were different in their day. It is very beneficial for children to hear about these times as it opens their minds to new ideas, as well as to their heritage.

Story-telling, board games, creating detailed family trees and slide shows are fun activities for children and the rest of the family to participate in, no matter what their age. Other activities include teaching grandchildren to knit, cook or practice any other skills that are rare in today’s society.

Giving gifts on Grandparents’ Day
A flower gift is always a popular way of showing care and affection. A bouquet of vibrant and lively fresh-cut flowers delivered to a grandparent’s door will always bring a smile to their face.

The official flower of Grandparents’ Day is the forget-me-not, a small, pretty blue flower that symbolises love and hope. In South Africa, the Cape forget-me-not is available locally, and makes a beautiful gift with its striking blue hues. Any collection of bright flowers arranged in a striking bouquet serves as a wonderful gift on Grandparents’ Day. Those grandparents in care homes, away from their families or without families, will especially appreciate the gesture of a colourful arrangement of their favourite blooms.

Online florists: Great ideas for Grandparents’ Day
Online florists are exceptionally handy when sending a bouquet of flowers for Grandparents’ Day, especially if family is divided by distance. Flower delivery services are reliable, punctual and ensure that the flowers delivered are of the highest quality.

The websites used by online florists are easy to navigate and contain extensive flower brochures and catalogues featuring large varieties of flower arrangements. Most catalogues will have arrangements for specific events such as Grandparents’ Day, so for those caught up in the business of modern life, ordering through an online florist is quick and convenient. Florists’ websites are safe to use as the payment facilities are protected and secure.

Grandparents’ Day is a once-a-year opportunity for grandchildren to celebrate their elders and embrace their own culture and heritage. Modern life has encouraged our society to dismiss traditional entertainment, interaction and living. This can be overcome on Grandparents’ Day as stories, traditions and skills are shared between families. To celebrate Grandparents’ Day, send flowers through an online florist.

Introduction

“Grandparents raising their grandchildren”, “grandparent caregivers”, “grandparents-as-parents” and “grandparent-headed families” are interchangeable terminologies which refer to the families where grandparents provide full time parental care to their grandchildren in the absence of the children’s biological parents. In this era of recession where the people are losing their jobs at a much faster rate, parenting is becoming a big worry and therefore parents are becoming more inclined and turning to their own parents to rear their children because of several reasons including the financial insecurity and also because they are seeking jobs elsewhere and therefore grandparents raise their grandchildren due to the inability of the children’s parents to effectively meet their parenting responsibilities. There are other conditions when grandparents become the full-time parent, may be either because of the death of the parent or a parent is away in the military, or because of the career of the parent(s) demand support to rear their kids, and rarely because of the grandparents living along with their children as a single joint family or under the rarest circumstances when the parent/s may be mentally ill, incarcerated, or merely and regrettably incapable of caring for their children (Proud Grandparents).

In many Western societies grandparents have play a dual role- as care providers of their grandchildren and also as grandchild’s parents. And therefore provide full-time parenting role for their grandchildren. This includes a number of changes in family structure and social conditions (Kornhaber, 1996).

Grandparents raising grandchildren is not a new phenomenon. Historically, they have always stood to take over the care of their grandchildren in times of family crisis and have played major roles in raising their grandchildren (Kornhaber, 1996). The growing social phenomenon in USA showed 44% increase over the preceding decade in the number of children living with their grandparents or other relatives. According to the Census 2000 Supplementary survey between 2.3 and 2.4 million grandparents have primary responsibility for the care and upbringing of 4.5 million children (Hayslip & Patrick, 2003a). This phenomenon has captured the attention of researchers, service providers and policy makers in the USA, resulting in a number of interventions to assist grandparents raising grandchildren (Hayslip & Kaminski, 2005).

The U.S. 2000 Census displays that around 2.5 million families with grandparents raising their grandchildren (Kornhaber, 1996). The number is on rise as many families do support other relatives, who act as parents, for e.g. raising their brother or sister’s children or, even yet, raising their niece or nephew’s children. It is an observation that at times grandparents are at work also and still raising their grandchildren. There is a kind of mental, emotional, or financial boding between grandparents and their grandchildren and with time it becomes more than overwhelming or loving, friendly relationship develops between two different generations. Grandparents willingly do everything, for their grandchildren from needing diapers and formula, an appropriate car seat for the toddler, or may it be dealing with a drug-addicted teenager or helping the grandchild if the grandchild is physically or mentally challenged. In return children also develop a bond of love with their grandparents and listen to them more than their own parents.

In this case of physically challenged children, it becomes essential for grandparents to procure financial support. With the age, it becomes difficult and challenging for the grandparents to raise their grandchildren and themselves may be dependent on medicines but it is the faith of the grandparents that drive them to take good care about themselves and also about their future generation, the grandchildren. The bond between both these generations is of pure love and affection. Most of the grandparents express their feelings about their spiritual temperament and think themselves to be directly connected to God or the Divine power in their lives.

On the part of grandparent also it requires lot of patience, courage and dedication to rear a second family. Moreover, grandparents struggle with the family conditions that have directed them to such circumstances. The meaning of the relationship in terms of physical, emotional, social, legal and financial challenges has changed when compared to the situation when they were rearing their own children. After becoming grandparents the meaning of parenthood changes and more softness comes from within for the grandchild as compared to own child. This may become devastating as some of the grandparents ignore most of the deeds their grandchild is doing which may be wrong but out of sheer affection they ignore them. Children of the present generation have good grasping and awareness and then gradually this becomes their habit which is otherwise difficult to avoid.

It is the care giving relationship where care is shown from both the sides. Children feel more comfortable with their grandparents because of several reasons, they feel free as the grandparents spare time for them and are not in hurry for some office work, they feel free as grandparents often tell them stories and about the childhood days and deeds of their own parents. These actions are fascinating for the grandchildren.

In 2002, the southeastern offices of ACF and AoA collaboratively facilitated the formation of a consortium of federal, state, academic, aging and community organizations in Georgia to identify the needs of grandparent-headed families, and to develop a collaborative model to address their needs. U.S. Census, 2005 American Community Survey (Healthy Marriage).

Nationally, 2.4 million grandparents are taking on the responsibility for their grandchildren’s basic needs. 47.2% of all care-giving grandparents in the nation live in the South. Of the grandparent caregivers living in poverty, 23% live in the South (the highest % in the nation). 28% of the grandparent caregivers in the South are over 60 years old. 32% of the grandparent caregivers in South have cared for grandchildren for 5 or more years (Healthy Marriage).

Grandparents rear their grandchildren for the following-

Financial assistance- when parents are not getting enough salary to fulfill the needs of their children they are send to stay with their grandparents for financial assistance. In some cases reverse could be the condition. People pay to their parents to take care of their children and in return grandparents take the responsibility of rearing their grandchildren. Health Insurance- diabetes, heart disease, obesity and HIV/AIDS are a few illnesses which can be covered by the Insurance companies. Some of the Insurance companies do not cover AIDS and cancer diseases. Since most of the illnesses of the grandparents are taken care by the Insurance companies, so they can take care of their grandchildren and bear their expenses. Housing assistance- as people are moving out of Georgia for the jobs so they have to manage with the expenses and rental accommodation. In order to save money on rent as house rents are too high in other states of United States therefore they are bound to keep their children with their parents (Healthy Marriage) and shift in a small accommodation to save money on rent. Child care assistance- child care is the biggest concern for the parents. It becomes more when both the parents are working outside and have to travel to the office. Crutch facilities are available and babysitting arrangements are raising but still people prefer parents over these facilities (Healthy Marriage). Legal assistance- in Georgia separation and divorce cases are also gaining prominence and therefore legal assistance is of much concern for the children. It is therefore single parents have to be dependent on their parents for assisting their child/ children (Healthy Marriage). Support group- legal, education, financial and child care. These groups help in rearing the child in terms of legal concern if the parents or the marriage is going through a divorce or a broken relationship or if the education of the grandchild is of concern of the financial dependency of the grandchild is concerned. Under these conditions grandchildren count on grandparents to provide them with support. Respite opportunities- once in a life time opportunity arises and to avail that to give a break in the career and to meet the demand of the time in jobs it becomes compulsion for the parent to leave the child to the grandparents to take care. Moreover parents have an understanding and a blind faith on their own parents that when they have reared us they can rear our child also with love, care and affection. Mental health- depression, stress suicide prevention, separation and loss. It is more prevalent in high school children and also in the collegiate. It is therefore imperative that grandparents should share their life experiences to smoothen the worries and agony of their grandchildren and help them to overcome depression, or any kind of stress or thoughts of attempting suicide, separation from friend and loss of exams or a year or any financial loss. Kinship care resource centre- affiliation to the care resource centers often help to overcome many rearing problems not only in terms of aids but also in terms of companionship to the grandchildren. Conferences- grandparents can be the best friend of the grandchild and therefore these lasting relationship should carryout discussions related to the worries of grandchild or related to education, financial crisis etc. Family relationship- substance abuse and teenage pregnancy is