- Feb 5, 2002
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There is much more than meets the eye in grandparenting. In grandparenting is perhaps the single greatest instance of the active human life coming to fruition. If this seems an exaggeration, it at least bears closer examination.
We should not be misled by a popular caricature of grandparenting, where grandchildren are a pleasant accoutrement in the life of a couple pursuing their golden retirement. The grandparenting of which I speak—which of course for a number of reasons will not be possible for all couples—places significant and at times intense demands on the couple. It is not peripheral to their state in life. It is the natural continuation of what has been central in their identity and commitments, namely the raising of their own children.
But doesn’t raising a child come to a kind of conclusion when we send the child off into the world? Yes, surely, a key chapter is then complete. But a line from Thomas Aquinas has always struck me: “It is natural that the father’s care for his son should endure to the end of his life.” There is much to unpack here, as this assertion of the perpetuity of parenting does not imply it is one undifferentiated project from beginning to end. Parenting is notably different once a child is no longer under parental authority, but it would be a mistake to think that the role of parents is reduced to insignificance.
Continued below.
life-craft.org
We should not be misled by a popular caricature of grandparenting, where grandchildren are a pleasant accoutrement in the life of a couple pursuing their golden retirement. The grandparenting of which I speak—which of course for a number of reasons will not be possible for all couples—places significant and at times intense demands on the couple. It is not peripheral to their state in life. It is the natural continuation of what has been central in their identity and commitments, namely the raising of their own children.
But doesn’t raising a child come to a kind of conclusion when we send the child off into the world? Yes, surely, a key chapter is then complete. But a line from Thomas Aquinas has always struck me: “It is natural that the father’s care for his son should endure to the end of his life.” There is much to unpack here, as this assertion of the perpetuity of parenting does not imply it is one undifferentiated project from beginning to end. Parenting is notably different once a child is no longer under parental authority, but it would be a mistake to think that the role of parents is reduced to insignificance.
Continued below.
Grandparenting: the Pinnacle of Marriage - LifeCraft
There is much more than meets the eye in grandparenting. In grandparenting is perhaps the single greatest instance of the active human life coming to fruition. If this seems an exaggeration, it at least bears closer examination. We should not be misled by a popular caricature of grandparenting...
life-craft.org
