Don't Waste Your Retirement

Back to School…Blessing our Grandchildren

A new box of crayons.  A cigar box to keep all of your #2 pencils and erasers in…along with a pencil sharpener and maybe some glue.  Fresh spiral notebooks, just waiting for spelling lists or addition problems.  Finding your place in the classroom, wondering who your desk mates would be.  Remember back to school when you were young?

I would say many things are the same now and then – the anxious anticipation of a new year, the fun of purchasing lunch boxes, water bottles and new supplies, wondering what the first day would be like.

So as we glance back over the decades at the “first day of school,” what do we think about in our present day retirement season?  Because I have taught in both public and Christian schools during my years as a language teacher, I can’t help but ponder what “back to school” looks like for kids today.  And surprise – I have some thoughts about the role we can play as grandparents with the retirement free time we have now.

How to bless our grandkids (and their parents) as they navigate back to school…

1. Pray for them daily…back to school is so multifaceted for them.  Academics, friendships, athletics, extra curricular, social media.
2. Have conversations with them about their school experiences – check in on them, even if you live at a distance.  Our 15 year old grandson just happened to be in the car this morning being dropped off for his first day of high school when I called his dad – got to bless him on his way.
3. Familiarize yourself with the schools your grandchildren attend – get on websites, look at activities, class offerings, teacher and administrator profiles.  If you live by your families, go to as many activities as possible to understand the culture and policies of their schools – at all levels.  Don’t just drop off the planet because they’ve made it to high school!
4. Pray for their schools, the administration, school boards, teachers.  Pray strategically for Christians who are working in the school system – that they may have the opportunity to be the light of Christ to their students and their school.  Many decisions are being made and have been made in the recent past that bring issues into the classroom that can leave children bewildered.  
5. Be supportive of the parents in their role as decision-makers with their children.  Be there to have conversations, offer wisdom if asked for. 

So we carve out time to pray for our grandchildren and our own children who are parenting in these challenging times of change and volatile agendas.  We embrace the effort to BE AWARE of the school climate, school policies, parental rights and academic standards.  We share wisdom when we are asked, we even give generous amounts of time to attend school functions, possibly help with school field trips, or offer to help in classrooms if there is a need.  We make ourselves available to serve those who are serving our grandchildren in ways that bless them.

I recently read an article about the impact teachers and education have on children because they spend 50% of their academic year at school.  This article, written by a parent, reminded the readers that parents’ young children are “our primary mission field.”  These are the years parents are discipling them, teaching them with word and example, and bringing them up in the ways of Jesus.  Grandparents who have time to give to busy families can certainly play an important role in contributing to the work of this very important “mission field.”

Let’s bless our families with all we have to share with them in these formative years for our grandchildren – be available, share stories, be involved (at a reasonable level), and BE AWARE of what a day at school looks like for them.  Stay informed for their sake.