Children Close to Their Grandparents Have More Positive Attitudes Toward Older Adults

Parents want their children to grow into polite, responsible adults. However, according to researchers at the University of Liege in Belgium, ageism is already pronounced among children as young as three. This is entirely normal because young children learn through observation. As they grow, children also begin to categorize the people and situations they encounter.

This way of thinking may change when children reach the ages of 10 to 12. However, parents can step in and offer some help to change their children's stereotypes about older people. In an article for Lifehacker, Michelle Woo advised parents to “support their children in developing meaningful relationships with their grandparents.”

Woo added, “Children who described their relationship with their grandparents as ‘good’ or ‘very good’ had more positive feelings toward older people overall than those who described the relationship less favorably.”

Here are some ways to help children and grandparents spend quality time together.

Help your children see their grandparents regularly. Having them spend every weekend with their grandparents is also a good approach. If the grandparents live far away, they can talk by phone. Your children will come to understand how much their grandmother and grandfather love them. This can change how they view other older people in their community. After returning from school, children will naturally call their grandparents to talk, while the grandparents will also find joy in staying in regular contact with them.

Some parents tend to be overprotective and may not like how the grandparents treat their children. In most cases, however, parents should avoid interfering excessively in the relationship between their children and the grandparents. In other words, grandparents should be allowed to play their own unique role in the children's lives. It is advisable to let children and grandparents enjoy hobbies together. Ultimately, parents have the final say in matters concerning their children. Even so, grandparents and children need to be given a certain degree of autonomy during the time they spend together.

[FamTimes reporter Cho Yun-ha]