7 Lessons Grandchildren Can Teach Us

Usually we think about teachers as being adults who are teaching students. But every day our grandchildren (no matter how young or old they are) have many things they can teach us.

Slow Down

Children are smaller than adults so their legs aren’t as long. If they are holding our hands and we are walking with them we are forced to slow down. When we aren’t in a hurry we see things we wouldn’t normally see and hear things we might miss.

A few weeks ago I was at a conference when a speaker reminded the attendees to pay attention to their surroundings, to look up from our phones and computers. I took his advice and got some of my best photographs. Simply because I was thinking about my surroundings instead of what was next on my agenda.

When you spend time with a child slow down and savor the moment.

Look For The Magic in Life

We forget that magic exists in mundane things. Have you ever watched a child blow a dandelion?

We might see dandelion seeds being scattered in our yard but they see the magic of the wind and making a wish that just might come true.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

A child doesn’t care if they have ice cream on their face or their new outfit is dirty. My youngest granddaughter loves taking her diaper off and running through the house or yard without it. Too often adults get bent out of shape over things that really don’t matter. My grandmother called it “Making a mountain out of a molehill.” There’s a time to go by the rules and a time to ignore them. Little things don’t matter nearly as much as we sometimes think.

Laugh Every Day

If you don’t smile when you hear children laughing you might want to see a cardiologist because there is something wrong with your heart. Children laugh at funny sounds, our corny jokes or when the family dog licks them in the face.

Adults take life way too seriously.

One of the reasons I love going out with my girlfriends is because we love to laugh. When we are all together my husband says it sounds like a room full of chickens cackling. That’s okay. Laughter is fun and it’s good for you.

Need some proof? Read this….

People who laugh heartily, on a regular basis, have a lower standing blood pressure than does the average person. When people have a good laugh, initially the blood pressure increases, but then it decreases to levels below normal.

Laughter reduces at least four of the neuro-endocrine hormones associated with stress. These are epinephrine, cortisol, dopamine, and growth hormone.

Clinical studies by Lee Berk at Loma Linda University have shown that laughter strengthens the immune system by increasing infection-fighting antibodies.

To read more about the benefits of laughter click here.

Use Your Imagination

There is more than one way to do things and children are great at using their imagination. My granddaughter’s love to play house and baby dolls and watching them reminds me of the power of imagination.

Too often we limit our lives by not using the gift of imagination. If we don’t see something in front of us it isn’t real. If we can’t touch it, it doesn’t exist. If someone doesn’t tell us how to do something then we can’t visualize how it can be done.

According to this medical article the brain weighs about 3 pounds and contains around 100 billion neurons — cells that carry information. I’m guessing that somewhere in our 3 pounds of brain there is a whole lot of imagination that isn’t getting used. Imagine what we could accomplish if we put more of those neurons to work!

Love Others

Another thing we lose as we get older is our ability to trust and love those who are different. If we walk into a crowded room we gravitate to the people we think are most like us, or people we know. If you put a child in a room of other children they will play with each other and most likely never notice differences.

We let our fears, prejudices and opinions get in the way of being open to people who look or act different. First and even second and third impressions can be wrong. Think about a snazzy car you’ve seen and thought you’d like to have. It may look great but without taking a test drive it could be a dud. The one sitting on the other end of the parking lot that didn’t catch your eye at first, maybe more dependable and a better deal.

We live in a dangerous world and while we can’t and shouldn’t trust everyone– we need to keep believing there is good in the world.

If you have never heard Luke Bryan’s song Most People Are Good, I encourage you to listen to it.

Forgive and Forget

My 5 year old and 6 year old granddaughters are best friends but that doesn’t mean they don’t argue or fuss. They will be mad one minute and the next they will be playing and having a great time.

Adults get mad and too often stay mad.

There are a lot of broken families and people with broken hearts because of someone’s inability to forgive and forget. Life is so short.

Ghandi said, “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”

Sometimes little children are stronger than adults.

These are a few of the lessons I’ve learned from my grandchildren. What have you learned from yours?