If you have grandkids, you have probably been missing them quite a bit. After all, with all of the social distancing, lockdowns, and quarantines, it has been challenging to see loved ones for nearly a year now. Thankfully, you can safely socialize with grandkids when you follow a few guidelines. This will allow you and your grandkids to enjoy some dearly-missed time together.
Children sometimes don’t understand why adults are making them follow rules that do not come naturally to them. After all, humans are relational beings who need contact. In fact, infants who suffer due to a lack of touch have significant health and developmental consequences. Even children who are a little older than newborns will need to have a good amount of close interaction with others, making the current situation very challenging for them. However, there are some steps you can take to make the emotional distress they may be suffering reduced.
Tell Stories
The power of stories cannot be overstated. Children are especially visual beings, and with that comes the ability to be captivated by a story. Stories can even help mold them and develop them into being better people. Humans have been storytelling for thousands of years, imparting wisdom and morals within them to younger generations.
As a grandparent, you will be able to impart memories from your past that they can be mesmerized or interested in. You can find stories that show them who you were and are. You can even teach your grandchildren how to share stories of their own.
Depending on how old your grandchildren are, you will have to tell your stories in slightly different ways. This will ensure that they can be absorbed by your grandchildren as fully and accurately as possible. Here is a simple timeline you can go by when deciding on how to tell your stories:
Ages 4 & Below
When children are either four years old or younger, they will be too young to comprehend complex things like current events. However, they will be able to understand differences in their environment. What you want to do is cultivate happiness within them, as well as tell stories that will make them laugh. If you would like to provide a teachable moment, you can guide them through something like a morning routine that can help them get a good start to their day.
Ages 5-10
When kids are between five and ten years old, they have a better grasp of what is going on in the world. However, they will not understand all of the finer details that are involved in those events. What you will be able to do is honor whatever it is they are feeling by being a witness to them and acting as someone that they would be able to talk to about their lives.
To relate, you can share stories from your own past. Provide them with examples and what you did to overcome obstacles and challenging experiences. They will find it very helpful to receive your sage insight and advice. You can also share with them what you did when you were their age that brought you great comfort and solace. When you share those stories and that advice, you can ease the emotional burden they may be carrying with them, allowing them to have more fun in life. After all, they are just kids!
Ages 11+
Children who are 11 years old or older will begin to have more serious concerns, worries, and problems. They will be entering their adolescent phase, which is well-known as being an uncomfortable and awkward time in the lives of children. This will be a critical time to stay connected with them, which means you should be speaking with them periodically but without overdoing it. Your grandchildren will likely be very social at this stage and be missing all of their friends, getting together to have fun, going on dates, and a whole lot more.
You should acknowledge that whatever they are going through is something they will be able to get over and move on from. You could occasionally send them a text message letting them know you are thinking about them, or you may opt for another way to communicate with them. Stay flexible with how you connect with your grandkids, especially during these times plagued by COVID-19. Children in this age bracket will likely be escaping to video games and similar activities to take their minds off of uncomfortable experiences they are having.
Let them know that they are not alone, and that whatever it is that they are going through, including all of the restrictions related to COVID-19, will pass. You can use insight from your own life to reassure them. When you safely socialize with your grandkids, you help them create a story of who they really are and how they got to where they are today. You can help them craft their own life story and preserve it as a teachable message to others who will come after them.
Make Social Interactions Easer
Another step you can take is to make social interactions with grandchildren easier for you physically. This could include taking a natural joint supplement like JointFuel360. This supplement contains powerful antioxidants like resveratrol and anti-inflammatory ingredients like black pepper extract and turmeric, helping your joints become less stiff and sore. This, in turn, will make it easier and more enjoyable for you to safely socialize with your grandkids.
Conclusion
If you have found yourself separated from family members like your grandchildren during the COVID-19 pandemic, you no longer need to do so when you follow proper guidelines to safely socialize with your grandkids. Even beyond the pandemic, sore joints may have been preventing you from enjoying a wider range of activities with them, which also no longer needs to be an issue. You and your grandchildren do not have to be deprived any longer of in-person contact when taking the proper safety precautions.
