Grandparents know the world isn't going to end because a child doesn't do everything perfectly. Children can learn that grandma's and grandpa's arms can be just a comforting as mother's and father's. They discover their grandparents' house to be a safe and happy home away from home. They learn how to be flexible and to adjust to the ways grandmother and grandfather think, feel and behave, which are different from the way their parents do. Visits to grandparents can be an enlivening experience for the children and grandchildren.
Grandparents can help children bridge the gap between the past and present.
Grandparents who have leisure time to discuss problems with their grandchildren can contribute a sense of history and perspective to family discussions. Many see today's grandparents as experts in change who have much to offer children. Grandparents can communicate a sense of wonder to children. They have seen the first airplanes, talking movies, televisions, computers and satellites. They can inspire in their grandchild a future in which almost anything can be accomplished.