Anyone who has had children knows the joy that comes with being a parent. The pride of watching your little one take their first steps, and the joy of knowing that someone looks up to you more than anything else in the world. The only thing better than being a parent is becoming a grandparent. Don’t believe it? Here are some of the most wonderful parts of being a grandparent that you should be looking forward to.
Less Stress
People nearing retirement age are often so fixated on the aging part of this period of their life that they forget one of the most wonderful parts of this period of your life— less responsibility! Your responsibility as a parent is no exception. When you become a grandparent you get to enjoy all of the pleasures of parenthood without the stress and guilt. Grandparents get to enjoy all the love, cuddles, and at the end of the day, they get to send their grandkids back to their parents. How great is that?
New Bond With Your Own Child
No matter how close you are with your own children, there is a new form that bonds once they also become a parent. Raising their child, your grandchild, with them can be a wonderful bonding experience that brings you closer than ever. You will likely start to see your child in a new light, and so will they towards you.
Any frustrations they had about you as a parent when they were younger may very well subside. The more that they start to realize how easy it is to make mistakes as a parent, the more understanding there will likely be of their own childhood.
You Get to Spoil Your Grandkids
Let’s face it, spoiling kids is fun. There’s nothing like their shining faces on Christmas morning when they see a Christmas tree full of plenty of gifts. However, as a parent we can’t always spoil our children as much as we would like because it’s up to us to teach them to pave their own way in life. Not to mention that there are consequences for poor behavior. As such, sometimes we have to limit the amount of spoiling we do. However, grandparents get to do all the spoiling without having to worry about discipline. Simply put, they get to shower their cute grandchildren with plenty of gifts and reap all the joy that comes with it!
You Experience a New Type of Love
As we go through life we start to realize that there are many different facets of love. From our first love, to our first child, love can come in many different shapes and sizes. Becoming a grandparent can open up your heart to an entirely different way of loving and being loved. Bonding with your grandchild can be one of the most beautiful relationships of your life.