Health x Wellness

7 Ways To Be A Hip Grandparent

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Find out how you can better relate to your grandchildren and be a hip grandparent.

As a baby boomer and possibly a grandparent by now, you might find yourself wanting to connect more with your grandchildren by being ‘hip’. It isn’t just about looking and acting young but more importantly about building a strong relationship with your grandchildren. Consider these five ways you can be a hip and cool grandparent to your grandchildren:

1. Be More Tech-Savvy

If you don’t already consider yourself a tech-savvy person, it’s time to keep up with times and start learning the ropes! Your grandchildren are born in an era of smartphones and tablets, and one of the best ways to connect with them better is through finding out about the new applications they use or simply playing online games with them. Interact with them through apps like Skype or the ‘hangout’ plugin by Google+, and find out about the games they play and join them.

2. Share Your Passion

Sharing your passions with your grandchildren can help strengthen the bond further. Whether you like baking, hiking, gardening or even sporty activities like cycling, if the children develop a similar taste for the activity, they will likely form a long-lasting and deep bond with you – their mentor.

3. Share Each Other’s Music

Share each other’s music. Bond with your grandchild by turning each other on to your cherished playlists and maybe take it further by attending concerts together. You might have to sit through a One Direction concert, but it will be worth it when you see your grandkid singing along to Frank Sinatra’s Strangers In The Night.

4. Pick Up A New Hobby Or Activity

Being a grandparent doesn’t mean that learning experiences should come to a halt. When you have a passion to learn new skills and pick up new hobbies, you keep yourself active and this gives you greater opportunities to engage in activities that both you and your grandchildren can do together. Take up a sport or a hobby like fishing and impart your skills and experiences to your grandchildren. Alternatively, get your grandchildren to teach you a new skill, it’s all about learning from each other after all!

5. Have An Open Mind

While this may not always come easily with age, the key to having your grandchildren consider you as a cool or hip grandparent is to be open-minded about the changing societal norms. The first step is to acknowledge that times have changed and your grandchildren’s values and perspectives have similarly evolved as well. To better connect with your grandchildren, cast all judgement aside and lend them a listening ear when they need one.

6. Keep Up With Fashion

Don’t get us wrong, being hip does not equate to dressing like a teenager. It’s about finding the right kind of apparel that will make you appear fresher and younger than your true age. Some tips to dress trendily – and not look too juvenile, is to dress like you would in your 30s or 40s while still sticking to rules like not wearing your jeans too fitting, or having too low a neckline for tops. Try to avoid wearing overly tight clothing or anything that just does not flatter you. Find your own style and dress in classy, comfortable clothing.

7. Make Their Cause Your Cause

Make the most of that idealism by combining quality time with making a difference on a cause the child believes in or together find things that do interest them. Whether those interests relate to saving the whales or feeding the hungry, opportunities can be found online through various search engines. A grandma that saves chimpanzees? Now that’s a cool cause.

 

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