Our grandpa taught us about community. It seemed every neighbour who passed would stop to chat. Our grandpa would walk out to the sidewalk or rolled-down window and talk about the weather and the happenings on the street or in the family.
It seems small but we learned a great lesson. Through our grandfather's kindness, we saw how important a strong sense of community can be for a neighbourhood.
When he returned to the leaves he would also tell us about his life. We learned about hard work. Our grandparents worked at the family’s local convenience store 365 days a year for more than 20 years. They only closed it once in that time to go to Niagara Falls with the family.
It's that kind of lore that teaches valuable life lessons about hard work and creates family bonds. But, you won't find it in any textbooks. While school covers the Founding Fathers, it can't teach us about our founding fathers – that's the kind of history that resonates most.
Get the grandparents involved
While the curriculum-based style of education is vital, it's something that's engrained here in Canada while our oral histories seem to be getting lost.
But it's not hard to get grandparents involved.
After retirement, grandparents can offer what a lot of working Moms and Dads can't – time. With that comes limitless opportunities to teach.
Recently, we've seen a lot of growth in inter-generational trips that we offer to our development projects overseas. This usually involves grandparents wanting to take a meaningful trip with the youngest members of their family when Mom and Dad can't get time off of work.
But whether you're travelling to Kenya or simply raking leaves in the front yard, it really doesn’t matter. The lessons learned are bound to live on in the next generation.
Tips for Parents:
1. Plan an outing with grandparents and grandkids. This is a great opportunity to have fun and spend some quality family time.
2. Arrange for your kids to do chores at their grandparent's house. Not only will your parents appreciate the help, your kids will get to learn a thing or two about the family.
3. Plan family meal times together where everyone puts away their electronics. Not only does this teach manners, it's a great opportunity talk about your family and what’s happening in everyone's life.
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