"Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them" - James Baldwin
Relationships with extended family, especially grandparents, are extremely important. They will help define the relationship you will have with your teen in the future.
When we are constantly bombarded by daily issues with our teens, we tend not to take 'the big picture' into consideration. 'The big picture' is simply this, our children are growing up and they will soon be young adults with lives of their own.(read The Life stage Called Adolescents) They will have their own homes and they might have their own families.
What position will we have in their lives when they have 'grown up'? Just because we are their parent does not mean we will have a firm position in their lives. Believe it or not, what we do now, will define where we are in the scheme of their lives later on.
By watching your relationship with your parents, your teen will incorporate 'your place' in their adult lives. By creating strong bonds between your teen and their grandparents, you have set the stage for when they have children.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Try not to talk about disagreements with your parents in front of your teen. We all blow off steam. Saying things like, "I wish she would keep her opinion to herself!", tends to make an impression on our children.
When going to see your parents, make it a high priority for your teen to be there. Use the standard cliche, 'If it weren't for them, you wouldn't be here', because it is the truth.
Share with them your memories of your grandparents. Spend one of your Family Nights sorting and organizing the family album to get the conversation rolling. You'll find that you are not only talking about good memories, but you are making some.
Remember - By practicing you model--By modeling you teach--
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