Free shipping on all orders over $75🎄

Our youngest daughter starts preschool tomorrow. The teachers are having a fun breakfast picnic for the kids and families to start the year. She is so excited!

My baby starting preschool is enough to make this mommy shed a tear, but to top off that, I can’t go with her to her first day because I need to take one of our other children to an appointment 3 hours away from home. I think the 50 emotions of guilt, sadness, excitement for her, the weirdness of everyone being in school, is about all I can handle.

The only thing saving my sanity is that I’m blessed with a mom and a mother-in-law that graciously bail me out of these type of problems. Not only does Arianna get to go to her first day with her Mimi (my mom) she also gets to go with Grandma and Grandpa (my in-laws). 

How lucky is that? (For both of us!)

Last night, my husband and I were discussing how blessed we are to have parents that are loving and involved with our kids. As I was working through my gratitude journal, I started making a list of things that excellent grandparents do. I’m sure there are many, many more things I could add to this list (and I’d love to hear what you would add in the comments) but here are 5 important things excellent grandparents do:

1. Excellent grandparents encourage their children and grandchildren.

Coddling and encouraging are not the same thing. Excellent grandparents encourage their children and grandchildren to do their best and to keep trying. Excellent grandparents know their children and grandchildren’s strengths and weaknesses and inspire them excel and to keep going even when it’s easier not to. Excellent grandparents know how to make their family feel special without spoiling them. 

Last night, my husband and I were discussing how blessed we are to have parents that are loving and involved with our kids. As I was working through my gratitude journal, I started making a list of things that excellent grandparents do. I'm sure there are many, many more things I could add to this list (and I'd love to hear what you would add in the comments) but here are 5 important things excellent grandparents do

Image Credit: Ling Ltd

2. Excellent grandparents are present in their families lives.

I know that not every family is blessed to have grandma and grandpa within an hour of their home. Excellent grandparents are involved and present in their families lives whether they live 5 miles away or 5,000 miles away. I know 85-year-old grandmas that text or Skype their grandkids to keep in touch. These amazing grandparents don’t expect someone to do it for them, they are intentional people and take the initiative to lead the family. 

Excellent grandparents take interest in what their children and grandchildren are into. They make time to know them, give hugs, and be there for their family whether it’s to talk through a hard problem or celebrate an accomplishment! Excellent grandparents have special foods that they make for their grandchildren, games they play together, and activities that they do with their grandchildren that are unique to them. Excellent grandparents have nicknames for their grandchildren that are loving, not embarrassing.

3. Excellent grandparents inspire their families to be better people.

Whether it’s through acts of service, the way they show love to those that may seem hard to love, or by motivating others, excellent grandparents are intentional in the shaping of their family’s morals and interests.

4. Excellent grandparents point their families to God.

Whether it is going to church together, eating a family meal together after church, taking the grandkids to Wednesday night church activities, or praying together excellent grandparents point their families to God. Excellent grandparents know there is more than our earthly lives and lead for eternity!

5. Excellent grandparents help instill a positive work ethic within their families.

Our grandparents had to work to build a better life for their children and grandchildren. Excellent grandparents help their own children train up their grandchildren to be hard workers, to be honest, and to be people that others want to work with and be around.

So what do you do if you have never had an example like this?

If you have strained family relationships, you can still have family without being related biologically. For those of you who may not be a grandparent yet, or are grandparents but feel like you have strained relationships within your family, here are some things to consider:

  • What do you wish your own family did differently (go to church together, pray together, etcetera). What can you do to do some of those things (you may have to take the first step)?
  • What memories of your own grandparents left an impact on you positively and negatively?
  • What do you want your family to remember about you? How can you start that legacy now?
  • Is there someone in your life that could use your mentoring?

Being an excellent grandparent doesn’t necessarily have to be hard! What important things would you add that excellent grandparents do?

So God Made a Mother book by Leslie Means

If you liked this, you'll love our new book, SO GOD MADE A MOTHER available now!

Order Now

Jenny

Hi! I’m Jenny! I grew up on a farm in between the 2 small towns of North Loup and Scotia, Nebraska. I spent my childhood chasing cattle, laying out irrigation pipe, bottle feeding bucket calves and racing turtles at Popcorn Days. My husband, Jason and I live on a farm south of Kearney and I am blessed to be a stay at home mom to 5 energetic kids and wife to my favorite farmer! Our oldest daughter is 11, our boy/girl twins are 7, our son is 5 and youngest daughter is 3. I created my blog, Women With Intention (http://womenwithintention.com) where you will find tools for living your purpose, managing your home, saving money, simplifying, growing your faith, loving your family and relationships, and embracing the season of life you are in. I believe that each woman can have it all, but not necessarily have it all at the same time! I'd love to connect at my blog, Facebook (http://facebook.com/womenwithintention1), Pinterest (pinterest.com/womenwithintent) or Twitter (@womenwithintent).

Brothers Fight Hard and Love Harder

In: Kids, Motherhood
Two boys play outside, one lifting the other on his back

The last few years have been a whirlwind. My head has sometimes been left spinning; we have moved continents with three boys, three and under at the time. Set up home and remained sufficiently organized despite the complete chaos to ensure everyone was where they were meant to be on most days. Living in a primarily hockey town, the winters are filled with coffee catch-ups at the arena, so it was no surprise when my youngest declared his intention to play hockey like his school friends. Fully aware that he had never held a hockey stick or slapped a puck,...

Keep Reading

Stop Putting an Expiration Date on Making Memories

In: Kids, Motherhood
Mother and son in small train ride

We get 12 times to play Santa (if we’re lucky). This phrase stopped my scroll on a Sunday evening. I had an idea of the direction this post was going but I continued on reading. 12 spring breaks 12 easter baskets 20 tooth fairy visits 13 first days of school 1 first date 1-2 proms 1-2 times of seeing them in their graduation cap and gown 18 summers under the same roof And so on and so on. It was essentially another post listing the number of all the monumental moments that we, Lord willing, will get to experience with our...

Keep Reading

When Your Kids Ask, “Where Is God?”

In: Faith, Kids
Child looking at sunset

How do I know if the voice I’m hearing is God’s voice? When I was in high school, I found myself asking this question. My dad was a pastor, and I was feeling called to ministry. I didn’t know if I was just hearing my dad’s wish or the call of God. I was worried I was confusing the two. It turns out, I did know. I knew because I was raised to recognize the presence of God all around me. Once I knew what God’s presence felt like, I also knew what God’s voice sounded like. There is a...

Keep Reading

Go Easy On the Parents Who Refuse to Skip Naps

In: Kids, Motherhood
Two little boys and their sister walking down a gravel road, color photo

Greetings from a mom who is done with napping children. It’s great to have the flexibility during the day for longer activities, meeting friends for playdates, or day trips to faraway places. It’s a new life . . . the life without naps. The freedom to make plans and keep them. But not that long ago, I was something very different than the flexible, plan-keeping, up-for-it woman I am today. I used to be the mom who refused to skip my child’s nap. Yep, that one. Here’s the thing, for a lot of parents, It’s so much more than just a...

Keep Reading

My Heart Isn’t Ready for You to Stop Believing in Santa

In: Kids, Motherhood
Little boy standing in front of lit christmas tree

“My friend doesn’t believe in Santa anymore, Mom,” my son said out of the blue the other day. We were driving in the car, and when I met his gaze in the rear-view mirror his eyes searched mine. Immediately, my heart sank.  This sweet boy, he’s our first. Thoughtful and smart and eight years old. A quick Google search tells me that’s the average age kids stop believing in Santa, but as his mom, I’m not ready for that—not even a little bit.  I can still hear his barely 2-year-old voice going on about reindeer as we lay together on...

Keep Reading

Dear Kids, This Is My Wish for You

In: Kids, Motherhood
Mother hugs three kids

To my kids, The world you’re stepping into is unlike anything I experienced at your age. It’s fast-paced, interconnected, and sometimes overwhelming. But within this chaos lie countless opportunities for growth and joy. My wish for you is that you find the perfect balance between embracing the modern world and staying true to yourselves. Change is one thing you can always count on. Embrace it because it’s often the motivation for growth. Embracing change doesn’t mean letting go of who you are; rather, it’s about evolving into the best version of yourself. Remember, you don’t need to have all the...

Keep Reading

Motherhood is a Million Little Letting Gos and Fresh Hellos

In: Kids, Motherhood
Mother sitting with child on her lap by the setting sun and water

I missed my grocery-shopping buddy the other day. Mondays are usually the days my littlest and I knock out our grocery list. In the past, we’ve dropped the kids at school and then headed to the store. I grab a latte, and she chooses a hot chocolate. But that day, they were all in school. That day, she sat in her kindergarten class, and I went to the grocery store. Alone. A new rhythm. A changed routine. A different season. I listened to a podcast on the drive. My podcast. Then I grabbed a drink. Just one. I got the...

Keep Reading

Dear Daughter, Stay Wild

In: Kids, Motherhood
Mother and daughter on beach, color photo

I can’t really put my finger on it. Or manage to find all the words. But there’s just something about that girl. Maybe it’s the way her hair sits tangled. Curled up at the end. The way she moves. Dances. As if everyone was watching. Or no one at all. RELATED: There is Wild Beauty in This Spirited Child of Mine It could be the way she smiles. With her heart. The way only she can. The way she cares, loves. For everyone. For herself. You see, she is beautiful in the way only wild things are. The way they...

Keep Reading

You’re Becoming a Big Sister, But You’ll Always Be My Baby

In: Baby, Kids, Motherhood
Pregnant woman with young daughter, color photo

The anticipation of welcoming a new baby into the world is an exciting and joyous time for our family. From the moment we found out we were expecting to just about every day since, the love and excitement only continue to grow. However, amidst all the preparations for the new addition, I cannot help but have mixed emotions as I look back at old videos and pictures of my firstborn, my first princess, my Phoebe—for she will always hold a special place in my heart. As the anticipation grows, my heart swells with a mix of emotions knowing we are...

Keep Reading

Cowgirls Don’t Cry Unless the Horse They Loved Is Gone

In: Grief, Kids, Loss
Little girls Toy Story Jessie costume, color photo

The knee of my pants is wet and dirty. My yellow ring lays by the sink—it’s been my favorite ring for months. I bought it to match Bigfoot’s halter and the sunflowers by his pasture. Bigfoot is my daughter’s pony, and I loved him the most. The afternoon is so sunny. His hooves make the same calming rhythm I’ve come to love as I walk him out back. A strong wind blows through the barn. A stall labeled “Bigfoot,” adorned with a sunflower, hangs open and I feel sick. I kneel down by his side as he munches the grass....

Keep Reading