ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the importance of both grandmothers and grandfathers in the lives of their grandchildren, from the perspective of their young-adult grandchildren. The type of relationship grandparents have with their grandchildren also depends on a variety of personal and situational variables. One factor is age; older grandmothers tend to have significantly less contact with their grandchildren than do younger grandmothers. The latter are more involved in fun-loving activities and view themselves as too young to fit the image of the traditional grandmother. Adolescent and young-adult grandchildren report their relationship with their grandparents is of great importance. Grandchildren’s strongest motivators for maintaining a relationship with grandparents seem to be enjoyment of the relationship, emotional ties with grandparents, and feelings of obligation. Future research that includes a greater range of values is needed to further explore grandparents role in the value development of their grandchildren.
