What Tweens Can Learn From Grandparents
Good Communication Between a Generation Gap
It is possible that a tween might feel misunderstood or separated through a generation gap from her parents and grandparents. However, when she takes the time to listen and observe the traditions and ideas her grandparents have, she will understand that she can learn a lot. Consider that two generations ago there was no Internet, Ipods, or cell phones, and your tween will realize that life has certainly changed over the last 50-100 years. What else can your tween learn from her grandparents?
Learning About Homemade Gadgets
Many grandparents of today’s tweens have suffered through tough economic times and lived during a time when many things were crafted or handmade, rather than purchased. Many grandparents are skilled at trades or arts they learned through necessity. What a wonderful idea it would be for a grandparent to show a tween how to make some homemade items, such as soap, butter, or even a blanket. This opportunity would certainly conjure up some good conversation.
Learning About Leisure Life
A tween can learn valuable skills like sewing or crocheting, as well as hunting and fishing tips. Many grandparents can offer tips for gardening or farming as well. These tips were learned in a different time when growing your own food was a must, so this could be quite interesting to your child. Imagine grandparent and grandchild starting a garden together. This would be an extremely fun activity. Your tween can also learn valuable skills from other fields her grandparents are experts in.
Learning About Finances
Grandparents can also offer excellent advice when it comes to the financial realm. When it comes to saving money, generations before have truly passed the test. Grandparents have suffered through much harder economic times than tweens today experience. Many of these elders have learned to truly stretch a dime into a quarter. They often have great ideas on how to cut down on daily spending, but also on what to do with the little money you may have to put aside.
Learning About Lost Trades and Arts
There are many things that are now becoming a lost trade or art. Canning vegetables is rarely done today, and hand crafting a quilt has become a trade of the past with the many machines available today. Even things as simple as cooking a meal from scratch is often lost on current generations. Many tweens believe cooking is opening a box or popping something in the microwave. Having a grandparent and grandchild prepare a meal together can be an enriching experience for both generations.
Learning About History
Grandparents are often a great resource for school history projects as well. Many have lived through important changes in history. Consider that two major assassinations, John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., occurred in the last century. There have also been major changes in the political scene, with wars and skirmishes becoming more of the norm. Many tweens struggle to understand these topics, and grandparents can offer just the clarification needed.
While grandparents can offer great insight into many topics, tweens should also consider asking how walking up hill both ways to and from school works. Or maybe a tween should ask what it is like to carry your brothers and sisters on your back through five feet of snow while not wearing any shoes. A more enlightening question might be asking how it is possible to plow forty acres and milk a hundred head of cattle before school everyday. These are truly things some grandparents have endured. It's time for your tween to get the facts.
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Tweens Learn from Grandparents
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