Are you a grandparent? Here are five things you should never say to your grandchildren….
Grandparents are supposed to be kid experts but sometimes we miss the struggles kids are having and speak when we shouldn’t.
Here are some conversations to avoid according to Kathryn Graves at Crosswalk.com:
Insulting words about their parents – Lighthearted stories about the antics and pranks of your own children can be entertaining for your grandchildren. These are fine, But if there’s a lingering hurt about your child’s past behavior — leave it alone. This is especially true if the grandchild’s parents are divorced.
Stories about how much worse you had it as a kid – The grandparent who constantly tells stories to “one-up” their grandchild runs the risk of never being taken seriously, or worse, being viewed as an old, out-of-touch person who doesn’t understand modern life—and is therefore irrelevant.
Negative bias about the younger generation – A doomsday view of society is not only unhelpful but can frighten our grandchildren.
Condemning all electronics and social media as evil – There are plenty of activities in which to engage with your grandchildren that keep them moving and thinking and talking. Be creative in discovering things you can do together. This will naturally lead to less screen time.
Any comment that degrades their worth – Sometimes, the birth of a grandchild doesn’t happen in happy circumstances. Many issues might be the reason, but the result is a child who bears no responsibility for any of them.