By Karen Shadrach
Leaving a legacy to your precious grandchildren is an important responsibility for grandparents. King Solomon told his son (Prov. 13:22), ”A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” Grandparenting is a level playing field; the poor and prosperous alike can pass on the greatest inheritances of all: love, wisdom, encouragement, memories and lessons learned.
Grandparents have had more time to process life and are in a stage of life the child’s parents have not yet experienced. This enables them to contribute uniquely to a child’s development.
Meaningful Memories
What can you pass on to your grandchildren? Ask yourself what is important to you and your family. What do you want them to remember and carry with them?
If your faith is important in your life, share your experiences and live out your faith, demonstrating God’s way of life. Teach them to pray and memorize Bible verses that have helped you through difficult times.
Become as involved as possible in your grandchildren’s lives. Be sure to plan one-on-one time to make get-togethers special. Be present and try to show up for their activities, such as sports, dance recitals, school plays and concerts. Support them through their wins and losses. Encourage good sportsmanship.
Children love stories. Tell them stories from your life. Tell those tales of your childhood — about teachers and friends, pets, places you’ve traveled — all will be interesting to them.
Teach a new skill, share a family recipe and help them prepare it from scratch. Teach them how to sew, knit or play piano. Help them make a small toy from your woodwork bench.
Chronicle your family history. Make a family tree and tell them about their great- great-grandparents or however far back in the family lines you can trace. They would love to hear of their past grandparents’ lives and when they came over to the United States. I’ve started a genealogy book to collect photos with names and dates, separated into our different family lines. If the grandkids are not interested right now, they may be later when they are older.
Teach the grandkids to volunteer and enjoy the spirit of giving. What can be a better influence than to volunteer with your grandchildren, showing them the value of giving back to their community and caring for others? Serve a meal at a homeless shelter with them, or visit a nursing home together.
Choose a charity that reflects your values. Sponsor a child from another country and have your grandchildren correspond with them, sending pictures and small gifts. The grandkids can learn about other lifestyles and become aware that not everyone has all the privileges they have enjoyed.
Leave a legacy of encouragement; give it generously to your grandchildren. Offer a smile and a word of optimism when it’s needed the most. Tell them they are the greatest and have the ability to do anything they want to, if they put their mind to it.
Prepare for your grandchildren the inheritance of a priceless relationship with you — bequeath to them a legacy. After they are grown and long after you are gone, they will continue to draw from your everlasting treasury memories of love, inspiration and wisdom.
Ultimately, a legacy of love is the most important type of legacy you can leave for your grandchildren. You want them to know that, no matter what else happens in life, they and their parents were loved and appreciated by you.
