Ken Canfield, PhD, Author at GrandkidsMatter

Your School-Aged Grandchild: Exploring the World Together

Posted by Ken Canfield, PhD | Nov 5, 2019 | School Aged Kids | 0 |

Helping to raise young school-age kids is really an amazing time. Your grandchild is out to see what life has to offer, to understand the world and become a citizen of that world. The most obvious change in his routine is going to school, but that’s only part of a larger process. Your grandchild is an eager learner. Whether it’s what type of sneaker is cool, why Susie is so popular, a move on the basketball court, or how to make change for a dollar, he wants to know. When our grandkids are in this mode of...

3 Reasons Grandparents Can Be Reconcilers

Posted by Ken Canfield, PhD | Oct 3, 2019 | Grandchildren | 0 |

As grandparents, there are few things as joyful as relating to our grandkids, but for many, tensions or misunderstandings get in the way of that. Often the issues are with the middle generation, the grandkids’ parents. Our adult children are gatekeepers of grandparent-grandchild connections, so we have to figure out how to make peace or at least work with that middle generation. We all know that family life is complicated, and no family or family member is perfect. It’s good that we remind ourselves of that regularly. Complexities and imperfections within families are one reason why reconciliation is so...

One Powerful Thought: Grandkids Are a Gift!

Posted by Ken Canfield, PhD | Sep 12, 2019 | Grandchildren | 0 |

Each of your grandchildren is an incredible gift! In our research, we asked grandparents to give us a word or phrase to describe their feelings as a grandparent. Overwhelmingly, the most common word they chose was “blessed.” Being blessed with the privilege of seeing your grandchildren grow is truly a gift. And viewing your grandchild as a gift is a distinguishing trait of an effective grandparent, even in difficult situations. In the same survey, almost 15% of the respondents painted a much different picture of their feelings about grandparenting, using words and phrases like: “devastated,” “bittersweet,” “guilty,” “sad,” “challenging,”...

Smile on Grandparents’ Day (and Every Day)

Posted by Ken Canfield, PhD | Sep 6, 2019 | Custodial Grandparents | 0 |

I believe God smiles on grandparents, particularly this Sunday as we celebrate Grandparents’ Day. Why do I believe this? There are many reasons, including one of the Psalms which describes the blessing of simply living to “see your children’s children.” That isn’t the case for far too many grandparents—who either don’t live long enough to see their grandchildren or, in difficult situations, are unable to see them. Still, I think God is smiling on them as well, even though their hopes and desires haven’t been fulfilled. The power of a smile was deeply pressed into my own heart and...

4 Qualities of Hopeful Grandparents

Posted by Ken Canfield, PhD | Aug 29, 2019 | Estranged Grandparents, Grandchildren | 0 |

Many of my recent thoughts about being a grandparent have returned to the idea of instilling hope in my grandkids. It’s one of the most necessary preventive qualities that a child can have, bringing them security, peace, confidence, and many other qualities I want them to have. As grandparents, we aren’t typically the central role models or influences in our grandkids’ lives, but we definitely can help shape and motivate and guide them, and it’s important that we do. The current state of our culture constantly challenges your grandchild to wrestle with the negatives of life—especially at older ages...