I am not now nor have I ever been a grandparent. As a boy I only had limited exposure to one Grandpa who was old and scary when I knew him. My grandma from the other side of the family was very nice and always told us what good boys we were as she slipped us a nickel for penny candy.
They both died when I was quite young so I wasn’t a grandchild for long. I had to settle for home baking from my friends’ grandmas and stories about the old days from their grizzled, old grandpas.
My view of grandparents was also influenced by two well-known TV portrayals – Grandpa Walton and Grandpa Simpson. Just to be sure I know what I’m talking about I tested my knowledge with an on-line Cool Grandparents Quiz.
I scored a respectable 90 per cent which I believe puts me up there with such groovy granddads as Harrison Ford, Paul McCartney and Donny Osmond. So if I did have some teenage grandchildren right now they would be happy to hang out with their old grandpa, bugging their uncool parents.
The role of grandparents in Canadian families is changing but the latest StatsCan report has been criticized for ignoring this important segment of society. In response, a group of concerned pensioners commissioned its own study and discovered that being a grandparent is not really a senior issue at all.
Having grandkids in the 21st century is the latest adventure being faced by millions of baby boomers or, as the marketers now call them, Grandboomers. Anyone born between 1946 and 1964 qualifies as a member of this savvy group. They do more than just drive the kids around and provide cheap, convenient daycare. They are changing the way we look at Nona and Nonno.
In the first place the median entry age for grandparenthood is 55. Most Canadians are still working full time when their first grandchild arrives and some are still busy raising their own kids. They have busy lives trying to pay down debt, support their other kids in college and university and still save a little for retirement.
There are many factors affecting the lives of Grandboomers. People are living longer and so are their parents. Many boomers will spend half their lives as grandparents. Four generation families are becoming more common. For the so-called sandwich generation the joy of grandkids often goes hand in hand with the burden and responsibility of caring for their own aging parents.
But one thing remains the same. The role played by grandparents in Canadian families continues to be an important part of our social safety net. Young people often seek the help and guidance of grandparents.
Grandparents will often sacrifice their own post-retirement plans to help out or respond to a family crisis even if they don’t really want or need the added responsibility. A strong family relationship with the older generation leads to a good sense of belonging and security.
StatsCan did highlight a change in the composition of Canadian families. In the 1940s and ‘50s you had an 80 per cent chance of growing up with both parents. Today it’s about 50-50. This has resulted in more blended families, one-parent families, common-law couples and same-sex couples.
Children these days could find themselves with multiple sets of grandparents and the benefits and privileges that go along with it. It seems to me that if grandkids play their cards right they could do well on birthdays and special occasions.
There are many emotional and psychological advantages, not to mention practical considerations, to having access to your parent’s parents. For their part, Grandboomers will continue to have a greater influence than past generations both emotionally and financially.
Kids born these days have an advantage no other generation can boast. They have boomers for grandparents who grew up in the sixties and seventies, who demonstrated against war and injustice, who may have been at Woodstock and may even have smoked a little pot along the way. They have many stories to tell future generations.
The Grandboomers grew up with peace, love and happiness as their mantra. Now their mission is to pass these feelings forward to their offspring and keep the ball rolling. Isn’t that what families are all about?
