A new study has found that nearly half of the grandparent-aged generation has never been asked for advice by their younger relatives – though they would like the chance to impart life lessons and pass down their wisdom.
Grandparents are an important part of the family tree, though it can be hard to make time for the recommended once a month visit that has been proven to help grandparents live longer.
As well as the practical help they can offer parents and grandkids by providing childcare, like more than half of grandparents do today, they are also important for the healthy emotional development of a child. It has been found that grandparents inspire ‘habits that last a lifetime’ in their grandkids and, not only that, but children who have a good relationship with their grandparents also have less behavioural and emotional problems.
Still, many grandparents think their wisdom, gained through their longer lifetimes, is still not being put to as good a use as it could be. That’s according to a new study that has found nearly half of the grandparent-aged generation says they’ve never been asked for advice by their younger relatives – but they want to share their advice!
According to the study, over-60s believe they have important life lessons concerning relationships, self-confidence, financial planning and coping with change, that they would love to pass down to their relatives if given the chance. Luckily for them, a whopping 74% of the younger generation wants to listen, saying they wished they more often turned to their older relatives for life advice.
So if both the older and younger generation want to share advice, what’s holding them back? A separate study conducted by OnePoll found that young adults, even if they want to turn to relatives for advice, stop themselves from doing do because of worries about generational differences in life outlooks or, sadly, because they’re worried that their problem will seem silly and they lack the confidence to ask for guidance.
It’s likely that the sad fact many children lose touch with their grandparents at the young age of 16 is a massive contributing factor to this disconnect. But the tides may be changing as new research has revealed that younger kids are increasingly turning to grandparents for life advice and many experts have also been sharing tips to help grandparents who want to be closer to their grandkids do so properly.
What the research undoubtedly shows is that everyone wants to talk more, wants to give and receive advice. So next time you feel the need to ask a question or impart some wisdom, forget feeling self-conscious and go for it!
It’s clear that we all want to have closer relationships across generations and there is work to do on both sides. Whether you need to read up on the 5 grandparenting behaviours to try and avoid to ensure you keep a strong relationship with both your children and your grandchildren, or you’re a grandchild who wants to better connect with your grandparent, we’ve got you covered with all the latest family news and advice.
