Living The Grand Life Now

The health and safety of our families is always at risk with the exposure to toxins in the home and the environment at large. Chemicals which were unknown to us as little as 20 years ago are part of everyday life. Even the EPA has a report which says that indoor air pollutions is one of the nation's most important environmental health problems.

Here are some startling facts about chemical safety; approximately 92% of all poison exposures happen in the home. Whether it is from cleaning supplies, cosmetics, or personal care items, about every 13 seconds a family member will call a poison control center about a chemical related issue. The Consumer Product Safety Commission had reported that approximately 150 common household chemicals have been linked to allergies, birth defects, cancer and other abnormalities.

As GRANDS we can assist our children by keeping them informed about safety issues we become aware of such as obsolete car seats to safety latches and even cribs. Helping them with basic safety tips can be one of the wonderful ways to protect our precious grand children, especially with the new parents adjusting to all the various disciplines they must now adjust to in their own lives.

We think sometimes that we don't have much to offer, yet, it is these bits of wisdom and knowledge in areas of life we have already experienced that make our presence valuable to our children.

Because we love them and our "littles" we want to do and give everything we can to help them be safe. One way is spending time with them, teaching them about God, family, and safety. As time goes by, they grow and remember these little nuggets of "grand" moments spent with you and will make them part of their lives too.

To be a “grand” parent means to be big, large, and heroic in the eyes of our grandchildren. To be able to fill a grandchild’s heart and life with unconditional love, let them know you are a safe place for them to come to, that with you they can find security, comfort, and honesty is a special responsibility we cannot take lightly.

Being a GRAND gives us special and unique privileges in the lives of our grandchildren.

To have “grand’ moments with the "littles" means we will have entry to their hearts by listening to their thoughts, concerns, and questions. With the world unrecognizably different than when were children; the idea of leaving your doors unlocked, being able to play in the front yard with your friends without worrying about adult supervision, knowing that the Ice Cream man sold ice cream and not drugs, or wasn’t a sexual predator that we knew of; to the young people today, none of this is possible in their world. Filled with war, rumors of war, exposure to death, pain, suffering, loss, terrorist threats a reality, kidnappings, child pornography, drugs, pedophiles and other dangers are lurking in the shadows of our grand childrens lives.

It should then be comforting for them to know that their grandparents are a safety zone, a haven of rest, a place where their little spirits can find comfort and peace. This is another reason that we need to be involved in their lives. With us they know they have complete love, complete trust, security, and safety.

We model the relationship that God wants to have with His children before them and allows us the privilege to lead them to knowing God. Living our lives before them by being an integral and vital part of their lives allows them to catch our values, develop their relationship with God and others.

Our first fruits may have been our children, but to know if what we planted really takes root, it has to show up in the next generation and the generations to come. It is with our grandchildren that we impart the greatest legacy, the greatest inheritance that they can carry into their adult lives and influence the world around them. A few years ago, a young man by the name of Jaime Foxx played the part of Ray Charles in a movie for which he won an academy award. In his acceptance speech he talked about his grandmother, how she believed in him and what she taught him.

Our influence extends beyond our lifetime, so we need to make it a legacy that will last and be carried forward. What kind of GRAND moments are you making for your grand children?