Cathie Ramey
RedwoodAge.com

In years gone by, it was “over the river and through the woods” to grandma’s house for the holidays. But today you're more likely to find highly mobile boomers hopping a plane just to spend a few precious days with the grandkids.

(AP)

Grandparents in their 40s and 50s are connecting with their childrens' children by any means available, including web cams, e-mail, travel, and family vacations, all in an effort to become an integral part of their grandchildren's lives.

Within four years, there will be 115 million grandpartents in the US, with an average age of only 47, according to Wendy Crisp, editor in chief at Grand magazine, who spoke to a group of marketing execs recently in San Francisco. While many grandparents will tell you they love their grandkids, for today's grandparents love is not enough. They want grandchildren to be safe and healthy and above all else, feel unconditionally loved.

Grandparents no longer see themselves playing a backseat role in the family dynamic either. Instead they feel charged with the task of instilling in their grandkids important values to guide them through life.  

Some grandparents look to their grandchildren to keep ethnic, cultural, and family traditions alive while others believe that leaving a legacy is key. For grandparents in blended families, encouraging kids to be true to themselves is the goal.

Amusingly, there is almost a conspiratorial relationship between grandparents and their charges, with grandma’s house being the place to indulge children’s wishes. Crisp went so far as to suggest that when making a purchase, the grandparents can be so bewitched by their grandkids they’ll value the opinions of the kids over those of their parents.

Younger Grandparents
Boomers are the second full generation to become grandparents, the first being their parents who by virtue of their longevity have now become great-grandparents.

According to the responses of a boomer-grandparent focus group assembled for the event, today’s grandparents are active and proud of it. One woman cited her ability to get down on the floor and play with the grandkids. Another talked proudly of telephone calls from her grandchildren asking for help with some of the normal problems kids face growing up.

Some described with glee how they’re able to ride roller coasters, play games, shop, and travel with their grandkids primarily for the sheer enjoyment of it. None of the boomers believed it was ok to spoil their grandkids by overindulging them. Instead, they said they used shopping and presents as opportunities to teach important lessons about work, sharing or the importance of family.