Say what? Words are powerful
Grandchildren are the best, aren’t they? Full of love, hugs and laughter. And – unfiltered truth.
Sometimes their words warm your heart. Sometimes they make you laugh. Occasionally, grandchildren are a blow to the ego.
Last week at Cousin Camp, one of my littlest grandchildren asked, “who all has golden hair?” Surrounded by my group of blondies, I knew I fit right in. Until my 7-year-old granddaughter said “well, Grammy’s hair is actually more gray.” (Time to hit the hair salon, I guess?)
Reality check
Once, a discerning preschool-aged grandchild asked, “Grammy, why are you so crabby?” It stopped me in my tracks. My patience was shot and she knew it. (Time to apologize and adjust my patient pants.)
A few months back, my tween granddaughter was describing her skincare routine to me. Thrilled to join in the girl-talk, I told her about my wrinkle prevention skincare regimen. She took a good look at me and said, “Well, it doesn’t seem to be working very well.” (Zing! I really thought it was.)
Thankfully, this same granddaughter once looked at a magazine cover with Jillian Michaels on it and proudly proclaimed, “There’s Grammy!” (Ding! That’s a win. Of course, she was only 3, so there’s that.)
Words that rock your world
Sometimes grandchildren rock your world in the most joyful way. “Grammy, you’re the best. I love you.” (It never gets old.) Or, “Grammy, your house is like my second home.”
But sometimes they rock your world in more challenging ways. One of my grandchildren left this note stuck to my computer screen: “I know you think that you need to lose weight, but I think you are beautiful! I know that you and I agree that I need to lose weight. You even said I have a sugar addiction.”
Wow…I tried to think back. Did I really say that? I know 100% I did not say she needed to lose weight. But, regardless of my actual words, that’s what was heard. (Time to clear up that up and emphasize a message of love and positive body image.)
I’m pretty sure my words focused on leading a healthy lifestyle. But that note gave me pause. Could I have inadvertently passed along my own body image struggles? (Not cool.)
Words of affirmation
Words matter. Our grandchildren need words of affirmation from us because the world is sure to give them some hard knocks. It’s rough out there, folks.
As a Christian, I look to the Bible for affirmation. We can encourage our grandchildren to look there, too. Help them find positive messages about God’s love, as well as their self-worth and self-image. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
As Impactful Grandparents, one of our roles is to guide our grandchildren toward God’s messages of love, kindness, forgiveness and grace.
Through our words, actions and the Bible, we can help our grandkids “grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” (Ephesians 3:18)
His love isn’t based on what they do, but on who they are – His children. Even grandparents are children of God.
Be the light
We can help our grandchildren understand their words matter, too. We talked about this at a recent Cousin Camp with the “Be the Light” Action Plan. They learned Jesus is “the light of the world” and we are to share His light.
We had a lot of fun with crafts, projects and games centered around light. But we also had some heartfelt discussion about our words and how we say them. I also threw in a little about how what we read and watch influences our actions and thoughts.
Good reminders for all of us. I recently put a “Be the Light” sticker on my water bottle because I need a daily reminder.
As an Impactful Grandparent, you have the privilege of being a light to your grandchildren. So, shine on!