I remember that when I was a teenager I would usually find my grandfather sitting on his rocking chair with a host of children beside him listening to his anecdotes. And I would wonder if those kids had nothing better to do than listen to a grand old man weaving tales! I would sometimes wonder too why my grandfather always wanted to have kids around him. Well! Now I know the answer. I know how it feels to be retired from an active life, what it means when old age catches up with you because I too have reached the same juncture in life.
The above experience is not a figment of the imagination but a first hand experience. It is something that most people have to face at some point in their life. Life can get pretty lonely and boring after retirement as you suddenly find yourself having all the time in the world. But this needn't be the case. You can dispel the loneliness, boredom and monotony from your life if you look beyond the horizon. Fill your life with the laughter and innocence of your grandchildren. Live life all over again by living through their eyes. Here's how:
Being with kids will help you be in tune with the changing times and trends and discover what life is all about today.
Be approachable
Don't sit on a high horse so that people are too scared to come near you. Let loose the child in you and enjoy their pranks.
Communicate in their language
You need to learn the language of the new generation to be a part of it. So don't always go about objecting to their hairstyle and phone calls and weird friends. Instead get to know their girlfriends and boyfriends and who knows you too might get invited to a dance party!
Be a source of information
Grandparents are supposed to be a wealth of information. So always impart some good advice and nuggets of information which will pull your grandkids towards you.
Don't interfere
Don't be a nosy parker or overtly interfering. Leave that job to the parents. As grandparents, learn to indulge and pamper and you will find that 'the lesser you ask for, the more you get'.
Inculcate values
Pass on your traditions, inculcate good values and let your family ethics and customs seep into your grandkids through you. This is a good way to keep alive the values of your family.
Just be there
In case the parents are working or busy, you can be a surrogate parent for your grandchildren. This will keep you fruitfully occupied and the kids will always bank on you to be around.
Grandchildren can be a great source of joy and happiness, filling your life with love, youth and laughter. All you need to do is get up and reach out to them.
