Christian Grandparenting Blog

What do sugar and screen time have in common? Dopamine. Whether our grandchildren are digging into ice cream sundaes or swiping the screens on their iPads, the effect is the same. A neurotransmitter called dopamine is released in their brain. This chemical travels via neural pathways to the brain’s reward center, thereby providing a feeling of pleasure. Digital screens are here to stay. So, what are we as grandparents expected to do?

As Christian grandparents, we are called to share our faith in Jesus to the next generation. This begins with developing a strong and trusting relationship with our grandchildren, one that is built on an exchange of ideas and interests shared through conversations. When we suffer from untreated hearing loss, our relationship with our grandchildren is affected.

When we think of freedom, we often associate it with being free from physical captivity or slavery, but many people today are living in spiritual slavery without realizing it. They chase false gods of money, success, personal comfort, and romantic love. These things leave them with an emptiness that no earthly thing can fill. The good news is that we don’t have to live in spiritual bondage. 

More than we may realize, children’s brains can memorize the exact wording of popular phrases, songs, poems, and prayers long before they understand and process the meaning. If you sense your grandchild is doing this, you can take full advantage of that teachable moment, especially when it comes to words of a prayer.

Let’s think back to when our children were toddlers. As soon as they became aware of their surroundings, they began inherently learning about cause and effect. For example, they discovered that when they threw a ball up into the air, it came down. When they [...]

We are influenced by the world we live in. Every day we make decisions that are shaped by what we have learned from parents, extended families, school, workplaces, and our communities or affinity groups. Social media is also a very influential piece of life today. These cultural expectations may be communicated verbally or indirectly. They are the standards and rules that guide our behavior in society and tell us what is or is not acceptable.

A few months ago, I accepted an assignment from our church to write a devotion about the raising of Lazarus. Writing was a struggle initially because this is such a familiar story. We know that as a result of Jesus’ delay, Lazarus had been dead for four days before he arrived. And despite the stench and Jewish belief that Lazarus’ soul had already left his body, our Lord directed the mourners, “Take away the stone.” We’ve also noted the authority in Jesus’ command, “Lazarus, come out,” and tried to imagine what it was like for Mary and Martha’s brother emerging from the tomb, dazed and wearing his grave clothes.

Have you ever felt like a country music song? You know the song… the kind where the man loses his job; his wife leaves with the kids; his truck won’t start; and his dog is run over by a reindeer.  Given that we don’t want to be labeled as grumpy grandparents, nor do we want to model this attitude for our grandchildren, how do we handle daily trials and tribulations without becoming ungrateful, cantankerous or just plain crabby?