An Important New Resource for Grandparents
Monday, January 25th, 2010Grandparents are taking the lead in teaching grandchildren a host of traditional values and are frequently acting as their confidants according to a new study* commissioned to mark the launch of BeGrand.net, an important new online resource for grandparents providing information, advice and support. The study reveals that over half of adults in the UK (55%) say they have learnt respect and manners from their grandparents, and almost as many say they showed them the different between right and wrong (48%). The teaching of essential life skills continue with a quarter (24%) having been taught how to believe in themselves and almost a fifth (18%) shown how to cook by their grandmothers and grandfathers.
When it comes to the role the older generation play in their families’ lives, almost a third of grandchildren (31%) say their grandparents are like ‘second parents’ to them, more than one in seven (15%) say they are like ‘confidants’, and one in ten (10%) described their role as a ‘counsellor’ in their times of need.
As the structure of the British family becomes increasingly diverse, there has been a growing reliance on grandparents to help support their grandchildren’s upbringing, whether that’s financially, emotionally or otherwise. As such, the issues of grandparenting, kinship care and involvement in family group conferences could become hot topics for all of the political parties ahead of the forthcoming election.
BeGrand.net has been designed to raise awareness of the significant part grandparents play in family life and addresses serious issues like legal rights, through to activities to do with grandchildren on holiday.
Jackie Highe, author and spokesperson for BeGrand.net, said: “It is so important that we appreciate how much our grandparents can add to our lives and our research really highlights just how integral they are to supporting the family unit and society as a whole. We want BeGrand.net to give something back to the grandparenting community by giving them a voice to raise and share issues that are relevant to them.”
BeGrand.net helps grandparents become part of an online community, connect with like-minded people and share their expertise, knowledge and ideas in a supportive environment. There’s also specialist advice, provided by The Grandparents’ Association, on the social & legal issues around grandparenting. The site has been specially designed to be easy to access and use – and all content can be sorted by the age of grandchildren as well as by topic.
To visit the website go to http://begrand.net
It will be interesting to see how the site develops and I declare an interest here as a grandparent myself! The 14 million grandparents in the UK are an extremely diverse group.
*Opinium Research carried out an online poll of 2169 British adults aged 18+ from 11th to 15th December 2009. This sample includes 1805 respondents who know or have known their grandparents and 652 grandparents. Results have been weighted to nationally representative criteria.
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