| The grandparent advantage |
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| Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images |
The gift of grandparenthood offers the chance to help raise a child, pass on traditions and get more fit chasing a toddler around. Research suggests the role may also be linked to healthier aging and, in some cases, a longer life. The big picture: Grandparents who hit the sweet spot of involvement — not overextending, but being present and supportive — can experience physical, cognitive and emotional benefits, Axios’ Natalie Daher writes.Geriatric psychiatrist Marc Agronin recently outlined some of those benefits in The Wall Street Journal (gift link):1. It requires a can-do spirit: Children come with activities, schedules and the need for an adult in the room as they learn how to navigate the world, including sibling squabbles.Stepping up for these tasks can help build a grandparent’s sense of competence and usefulness, and in turn a more positive view of aging. Yale psychologist Becca Levy has found that people with positive beliefs about aging lived, on average, 7½ years longer. 2. It provides purpose: Grandparenting offers another vantage point on parenting — and, sometimes, a chance to do things differently from the first go-round.Cooking family recipes with a new, younger partner in crime, for example, offers an opportunity to pass on wisdom and history. 3. You gotta keep up: Grandparenting can lead to plenty of physical activity when you’re trying to match the energy of a kid.One study Agronin highlights found that moderate involvement in caring for grandchildren was associated with fewer mobility limitations, fewer depressive symptoms and better cognition, compared with no involvement. The bottom line: The bond between grandparents and grandchildren is special and lasting — and benefits three generations. |
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Research suggests the role may also be linked to healthier aging and, in some cases, a longer life.
The big picture: Grandparents who hit the sweet spot of involvement — not overextending, but being present and supportive — can experience physical, cognitive and emotional benefits, Axios’ Natalie Daher writes.
It requires a can-do spirit: Children come with activities, schedules and the need for an adult in the room as they learn how to navigate the world, including sibling squabbles.
It provides purpose: Grandparenting offers another vantage point on parenting — and, sometimes, a chance to do things differently from the first go-round.
You gotta keep up: Grandparenting can lead to plenty of physical activity when you’re trying to match the energy of a kid
The bottom line: The bond between grandparents and grandchildren is special and lasting — and benefits three generations.