IT CHANGES EVERYTHING
In this day of rush and few holidays in our calendars, I
notice that the young and the middle-aged prefer to take
a vacation outside their city or country and seldom thinking
of vacationing at their grandparents’ home. In this day
of nuclear lives, young parents are gifting their children
a lonely life in the name of expensive holidays, higher
levels of “technoference,” and the associated relationship
conflict, lower relationship satisfaction, depressive
symptoms and lower life satisfaction.
Let’s give it a thought: What will our children remember
when they grow up?
A few children are lucky enough to spend precious holidays
alongside their cousins in their grandparents’ homes. If
for no other reason, our children, like us, will certainly
recall their childhood fondly and perhaps the knowledge
acquired by virtue of their travels to the warm feelings
of familial love.Allowing those moments that bind children with their
roots, and some time for loving attention, gives them
strength and security, which our independent lives
otherwise cannot provide. And in exchange, a deep
satisfaction fills an old soul who lives far away, in fear
of aging and helplessly observing the uncertainty of how
life will unfold.Although grandparents rarely give us a glimpse of their
unease, this precious bond can alter a tale of loneliness,
anxiety, fear and uncertainty, even as they eagerly become
a part of their grandchildren’s everyday life while the
vacation lasts.July 2019 45