What is the role of a grandma? When I ask my grandsons what a grandma’s “job” is, they tell me things like – hugging, making cookies and saying, “I love you!” I agree with them; these are all important things for a grandma to do, but what is the role of a grandma? What is it we are supposed to do as grandmas?
Important question. And the answers matter, too, because while the things my grandsons think are important – loving and making cookies – are important, the role of grandma is much more than these things.
So, for the coming few days, I want to look at the role of grandma. I want to think and talk about what a grandma needs to do . . . and I’d most sincerely appreciate your comments – please share what you think about the things I identify as the role of grandma and let me know what you consider to be part of the role of grandma as well.
I’m going to start with one of the most important things a gran
dma can do… pray. We need to be prayer warriors for our grandchildren. This is a world that can be very frightening–terrorism, social change, political upheaval, and so much more can leave us feeling uncertain about the world in which our grandchildren will grow up. We may wonder how they will find their way through it all to love, know and follow Jesus with all their heart.
The truth is, we can not make our grandchildren choose to love, know and follow Jesus with all their heart, but we can pray for the following:
- Pray they will have eyes which are open, so they see the truth about who God is and how they can choose to love, know and follow Him with all their hearts.
- Pray God will protect them from the evil one, so they will not be deceived or side-tracked by anything in this world.
- Pray they will be drawn to Jesus and not anything in this world which will take them away from Him.
- Pray they will have hearts which are quick to choose to love God and do as His Word says.
- Pray they will have friends who love God, so they are able to encourage and strengthen each other to make wise choices.
These are only a few of the things we need to pray for them, but they are definitely tops on my list.
I want to be a grandma who prays for my grandsons, but I also want them to grow to be people who pray. I want them to believe God when He says He hears, listens, pays attention to and answers their prayers, so I help them learn to pray. How do I do this, you ask? I do the following with them . . .
- I am sure they hear me pray for them.
- I let them know what I’m praying for them. I use my book, Deeper In 4 Grandparents and Parents, Too! Praying the Scriptures for the Children You Love – Psalms Edition. They hear me pray Scripture for them and they get to pray Scripture for themselves, too!
- I involve them in learning to journal their prayers. As we work through Science, the Bible & Fun this coming Fall, the boys will be keeping prayer journals. They will draw or write their prayer requests and how God answers!
- I changed the way we pray at meals. Rather than having one person pray to thank God for our food, I have each person at the meal share one thing they are thankful for. Shane (almost three years old) nearly always is thankful for donuts, whether we have them for our meal, or not! Then, after each person shares something they are thankful for, we all reach out to the people on both sides of us, touch their shoulders and pray a blessing for each other. My focus is on being thankful and blessing others, and so far I’m thrilled with the boys’ responses!
These are a few ways I’m helping my grandsons grow to be people who pray. I see this as part of my role as grandma. I seek to be a grandma who prays and who helps my grandsons learn to be people who pray as well.
What do you do to pray for and how do you help your grandchildren become people who pray? Do you see this as part of the ‘role’ of grandma? Why, or why not? What do you consider to be the “role” of grandma? I’d like to hear from you.
By the way, a great way to be a prayer warrior is to pray with other grandparents. September 11, 2016 is Grandparents’ Day, but it is also the Grandparents’ Day of Prayer. Why not get involved with other grandparents in your church by gathering to pray on this day. Click on this link for more information.
