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I had to chuckle when I saw the following announcement in our church bulletin:
Grandparenting Support Group Forming: Interested in sharing joys and concerns of being a grandparent? Want to develop additional skills to help your grandchildren deal with 21st century challenges, with integrity? A group is forming to encourage one another in the important role of grandparenting.
It went on to share where to meet and who to call, etc. The person forming the group is a baby boomer, and I’m not surprised. While I am not fortuntate enough to be a grandparent (my children are 21, 22 and 24) I certainly have siblings and dear friends who can’t say enough good things about their intelligent, adorable, wonderful, fun, and any other positive adjective you like to throw in, grandchildren.
My reason for chuckling is because baby boomers re-invent every life stage we enter which we are currently doing with grandparenting and retirement. Go boomers go! 
I just love our enthusiasm.
While attending a conference in DC several months ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Stacie Owen from www.Grandparents.com. She shared an fascinating presentation about the boomer grandparent, and since then I’ve been following their Web site which offers excellent articles, advice, gift and travel ideas and so much more.
On behalf of the editors at www.Grandparents.com, I offer the following statistics:
- 72% think being a grandparent is the single most important and satisfying thing in their life
- 63% say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren than they did with their own
- 43% became grandparents in their fifties, 37% in their forties, with the average age of grandparents in this country at 48.
- By 2010, more than 50% of the grandparent population will be baby boomers — by 2015, it will increase to nearly 60%.
- 60% live close to their grandchildren
- 46% wish they could live even closer
- 70% see the kids at least once a week
- 66%travel with their grandkids
- 81%have their grandkids for part or all of their summer vacation
- 55% play video games with their grandchildren
- 72% take care of their grandchildren on a regular basis
- 13% are primary caregivers
- 92% have changed their grandchild’s diaper
- 64% accompany their adult children or grandchildren to the doctor
- 86% bake cookies for their family
If you’re a grandparent, I encourage you to visit their site. Also, how about telling us about your grands? What do you enjoy about this life stage?
