The Raise In Multi-Generational Travel And Grandparent / Grandchild Travel

Grandparents are traveling more with their grandkids, but what is really a trend among my readers is multi-generational vacations where grandparents, adult children and grandkids all convene for a vacation together. Grandparents live longer, and parents wait longer to have their children, and that means grandparents have different physical needs and requirements from the adult children, and the adult children are more careful about diet, television time and raising their children than has been normal in past generations. This can mean culture clash and emotional outbursts — which is why multi-generational vacations are so popular. Everyone can do their own thing for parts of the day or the week, and everyone can pair off and/or convene as a group, casually.

If grandparents want to be close with their grandkids, then they’ve got to be on good terms with the parents — especially the mother — in order to have the best time with the children. Children look to their parents for cues on what’s okay and what’s not okay. When grandma and grandpa want to spoil the grandkid or do something special with them, and it’s out of the ordinary, children look to their parents to make sure it’s okay. Therefore, the first thing grandma and grandpa should do is check in with the parents when they have ideas about what the grandchild might like. Parents may also offer up some good ideas for grandparents that they didn’t think of.

For instance:

1. If mom and dad hate amusement parks, grandma and grandpa can become the annual water park or amusement park host. Not only is this fun for the grandkid, but it gives them a ritual, which makes children feel safe and secure.

2. Pass on a tradition. One of the nicest things a grandparent can do for and with a grandchild is to pass on a tradition that may otherwise fade out because the parents of the child haven’t had the time to keep it up. For instance, if grandma makes an amazing ethnic dish that her parents made and taught her to make, it would be a great legacy to pass on that baking lesson. If grandpa is great with wood working or music, he may take the grandchildren to build a stool or a toy box or else take them to an orchestral or jazz concert.

3. Help out the family. When grandma and grandpa want to help out their own children, involving the grandkids can be wonderful. For instance, if mom is very tired or overwhelmed with a new baby, grandma, grandpa and the grandkids can make dinner together or bring in take out together. They can do the clothes shopping together. They can get the car washed together. The lesson this teaches the children is that grandma and grandpa support their own children when they need help, and this is something that will get passed on through their grandkids.