Grandparents never die, become invisible and sleep forever in the bottom of our hearts, even today we miss them and give anything to hear their stories again, to feel their caresses and those looks full of infinite tenderness.
We know that this is the law of life, while grandparents have the privilege of seeing us born and grow, we must witness their aging and their farewell to the world, their loss is almost always our first farewell, and usually during our childhood.
- Today it is very common to see grandparents involved in childcare tasks with their grandchildren.
- They are an invaluable support network for today’s families.
- However.
- Their role is not the same as that of father or mother.
- And it is something that children perceive from an early age.
The bond between grandparents and grandchildren arises from a much more intimate and profound complicity, so their loss can be very delicate in the minds of a child or adolescent, we invite you to reflect with us on this subject.
Many people have the privilege of having one of their grandparents by their side into adulthood; others, on the other hand, have had to face death in childhood, at an age when the loss of a truly real form is not yet understood, and where adults, in some situations, misrepresent it in an attempt to soften death or pretend that it is something that does not make you suffer.
Most educational psychologists say this very clearly: we must always tell a child the truth. There is no doubt that the message must be adapted to their age, but one mistake many parents make is to avoid, for example, one last goodbye between the child and grandpa while at home. hospital or when they use metaphors like?
It is also important to note that death is not taboo and that adult tears should not be hidden in the eyes of children, we all suffer from the loss of a loved one and we need to talk about it and vent. Children will do so at the right time and at the right time, so we need to facilitate that process.
Children will ask us many questions that require the best and most patient answers, the loss of grandparents in childhood or adolescence is always something complex, so it is necessary to go through this struggle in the family, being very intuitive in the face of any need. of our children.
Grandparents, although no longer with us, are still very present in our lives, in these common scenarios that we share with our family and also in this verbal legacy that we offer to new generations and to new grandchildren and great-grandchildren who have not had the opportunity to meet grandpa or grandmother.
His presence still lives on in these yellowed photographs that are kept in the frames and not in the memory of a mobile phone. Grandfather is in this tree that he planted with his own hands, and Grandmother in the dress that she sewed for us and that I still have. today.
They are in the smell of these sweets that inhabit our emotional memory, their memory is also present in each of the advice they gave us, in the stories they told us, in the way we tied our shoes and even in the dimple of our chin. we inherited from them.
Grandparents do not die because they print on our emotions in a more delicate and profound way than genetics, they taught us to go a little slower and at their pace, to enjoy an afternoon in the countryside, to discover that good books have a special smell and that there is a language that goes far beyond words.
It’s the language of a hug, a caress, an accomplice smile and a mid-afternoon walk sharing silences watching the sunset. All this will last forever, and this is where the true eternity of people happens.
In the emotional legacy of those who truly love and honor us by reminding us every day.