The creativity and energy exhibited among all the grandparents and great grandparents — and even great, great grandparents — I know inspires me.
Everything from unique travel experiences to annual cousins camp in the backyard to sharing in school car line duty, grandparents are as involved in their grandchildren’s lives as they ever were.
Some are even raising their grandchildren or co-parenting in some form.
Others are embracing the new intentional grandparenting concept and building in daily, weekly or monthly moments to invest in their grandchildren’s spiritual development.
A quick internet search will lead you to a variety of online resources to help as you look to be more involved with your grands, even if your health limits your interactions or you live a long distance away.
At grandkidsmatter.org, the National Association for Grandparenting states, “Grandparents have a profound influence on future generations. … New research demonstrates that grandchildren thrive when grandparents are proactive in supporting and developing a relationship with their grandchildren, and grandparents thrive when they are actively involved in their grandchildren’s lives (Bengtson, 2014).
Clearinghouse of information
“Grandparents are important contributors to children and society, and we are here as a clearinghouse of information, bringing top-notch resources and insights to grandparents,” the NAG site states. “We are also helping to lead an international effort to bring attention to the role of grandparenting.
“Grandparents, you matter. Don’t underestimate your value or importance.”
Legacy Coalition focuses primarily on helping grandparents have a greater spiritual influence on their families.
“In just a few years, Legacy Coalition has seen thousands of Christian grandparents find purpose and have a greater spiritual impact on their grandchildren’s lives,” according to reports found at legacycoalition.com.
Another group focused on spiritual legacies is the Christian Grandparenting Network.
“Our mission is to encourage, equip and empower grandparents to pass a legacy of faith in Christ to future generations,” CGN states at christiangrandparenting.com.
CGN offers a variety of resources, blog posts and suggestions for how to mark Grandparents’ Day of Prayer on Sept. 10, which coincides with National Grandparents Day.
A plea from CGN: “We need to get on our knees, humble ourselves, seek God’s face, repent of our sin and intercede on behalf of our children, and grandchildren.”
Nearly (or newly) retired? Stay tuned for tips for this next season;
Been retired a little while now? We want to hear your stories
Coming soon — a periodic special section printed in The Alabama Baptist to help those nearly or newly retired make the transition to this next season of life.
We want to partner with you to help set you up for success.
To provide helpful guidance, practical tips and suggested resources, we need to hear from those of you who have already been around the block related to retirement.
Help us know what has worked well for you and what parts were difficult.
- What do you realize now that you wish you had known prior to retiring?
- What are some practical do’s and don’ts?
- How far in advance should we think about and prepare for retirement?
- Along with thinking through and setting goals related to finances, what else should be considered when preparing for retirement?
- What surprised you the most the first few days into your retirement?
- What does a successful retirement mean to you?
Please send your comments to:
Jennifer Rash
The Alabama Baptist
3310 Independence Drive
Birmingham, AL 35209
or email jrash@thealabamabaptist.org.
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