While grandparenting presents many challenges, including a strong drain on a short energy supply, it also presents limitless opportunities to stay young at heart. Helen Deutsch's research suggests there are three types of grandparent. The first type continues their parenting role through their grandchildren with the same emotional intensity and reactions which they experienced with their own children. The second type feels the frustration of the loss of their own capability to parent, but makes the necessary emotional adjustment. This grandparent has left parenting days behind and by becoming a grandparent, seeks to continue a nurturing role that is not in competition with the parents of their grandchildren.
Grandparents can pick and choose when and how they are involved with their grandchildren.
Grandparents, by not being the disciplinarians, can be more objective with the grandchildren and see beyond immediate problems. Grandparents have more financial resources which enable them to do special things for grandchildren which parents may not be able to afford. Grandparents hold the reservoir of family history and traditions. Grandparents can listen to the pains and problems of grandchildren and know their problems are not unique. Grandparents bring to the job a level of maturity, plus the experience of managing daily living problems, which enables them to have a higher level of objectiveness, vision and sense of humor in dealing with children.