And finally, help your grandchildren internalize the notion that an education is not something you get, but is something you take. Helping them to adopt this philosophy may be the most powerful thing you can do. A primary goal for the education of those we care about is that we instill in them enough enthusiasm for life that they will be able to sustain themselves as far above the world of cliches and slogans as is possible. Using my own grandparents as a guide, I would propose that it is the responsibility of grandparents to leave indelible memories as to just what grandparents are supposed to be like. In this way, the notion that successive generations lay the foundation on which their heirs will build their lives becomes quite literally true.
Genuine confidence is connected at a deep level to the umbilical cord of conscience itself.
A part of the strength required for believing one has a chance in the world is bound to the kind of care with which one has been afforded in the world. Grandparents who leave such a legacy to their grandchildren give them something far more valuable than money. Without ever mentioning, it they teach them how to be grandparents. Charles D. Hayes, is a lifelong learning advocate and the author of Beyond the American Dream , Proving You're Qualified , and Self-University . PAGE Copyright 1999, Autodidactic Press.