Being a great grandparent is something of a balancing act. You need to be an understanding, supportive parent to your own children, as well as being supportive and loving to the grandchildren too.

As a parent to your own children, the temptation is always present to tell your kids what to do, correct them when you feel they're wrong, and disregard or disrespect their wishes. All of these actions will only serve to annoy, irritate, and possibly alienate them from you though. And if your adult children are alienated from you, it will be next to impossible to have a relationship with your grandchildren.

Grandparenting can seem a little tricky at times though. Sometimes it may seem as if the children only know you and are polite to you, but they're not really connecting with you on a personal level. This feeling increases as the grandchildren become teenagers too, because they tend to become more interested in spending time with their friends instead of family and adults. There are things you can do to help create excellent relationships with your grandchildren though, so lets look at some of the best grandparenting tips.

Grandparenting can be fun. As a grandparent, you often get to spend time with your grandkids doing fun and enjoyable things. Try to do this as often as possible, but make sure you're doing things both of you enjoy. If you have a teenage grandchild who enjoys sports for instance, you could spend quality time together watching sports events on TV, or taking a day to actually go to an event together.

If you have teenage grandchildren who enjoy movies or going to the mall, and you like these activities too, then by all means try to schedule time out for the two of you to do these activities together.

When your grandchild is a baby, simply spend time with them by offering to babysit, feed or change them. Also play peek a boo, or sit down on the floor and play with them and their toys.

Children love hearing stories too, and a wonderful way to enjoy some quality grandparenting time is to read the child stories, or make up stories of your own. These can even be stories which actually include the grandchild as a primary charactor.

Being a great grandparent isn't usually about asking questions. In fact, some grandchildren feel as if they're being grilled or interviewed when all you do is ask them questions everytime you see them. Try spending quality time together instead. Often the best grandparenting tip you can get is to simply be there for them. Enjoy going to the zoo, helping them learn and experience new things, and make fun memories for them to treasure throughout life.

By participating in the things your grandchildren enjoy, you will be able to spend quality time together and they will be thrilled each time they're coming to see you again. You can use this time together just for togetherness, or to pass on knowlege, skills and experience too.

There are many things to enjoy about the wonderful world of grandparenting. You have the exciting opportunity to see the world through a child’s eyes all over again – without the stress of juggling the many activities and obligations that parents have today. Grandparents have the luxury of an afternoon of board games or an evening movie marathon, much to the grandchildren’s delight.

There are many ways to get involved with your grandchildren, but sometimes the prospect of nurturing that relationship can be daunting to someone who is trying to bridge the gap between two very different generations. It is hard to understand kids of any era, but it is particularly challenging when you have not had the advantage of visiting that realm for many years. The good news is that there are many ways for you to connect with your grandchildren, and build wonderful relationships that you will all treasure forever.

Long Distance Grandparenting

If you live in a different state than your grandchildren, the ability to stay close to them is compounded by the distance as well as the age difference. You may only be able to visit your son or daughter’s family occasionally, and will need to find other ways to stay in touch with the grandchildren. Today, the options for keeping distant relatives in close contact have blossomed into a wonderful array of methods for keeping in touch. Snail mail is still a popular and effective way for grandparents to talk to the kids. Sending cards, letters, pictures and other tokens through the postal service will give your grandchild something to look forward to, and make him feel important when he receives an envelope addressed specifically to him.

Today, we also have electronic means of communication to choose from, and emailing the grandchildren can be a great way to keep in touch on their home turf of the computer. You can set up times to participate in your own private “chat room,” or you can simply shoot off a message whenever you think of one. Effective grandparenting requires that you stay in touch with the grandkids on a regular basis, but the method for communication is strictly up to you.

Living Close and Staying Close

If you are fortunate enough to live near to your grandchildren, your grandparenting role can be much more involved. Perhaps you can spend a day with your grandkids at the zoo or museum, learning about their interests and sharing some of your own. You can even invite them over for an afternoon of “hanging out” time, which can include games, movies or participating in a favorite hobby that you both like. Kids become accustomed to moms and dads that must rush through life much of the time, and are almost guaranteed to appreciate the slower pace that grandparenting time can offer.

It is also a good idea to try to spend one-on-one time with each of your grandchildren if possible. This allows each child the opportunity to enjoy some of your grandparenting abilities without feeling like he needs to compete with other siblings for your attention. This time together can be much quieter and more relaxing for both of you, and the benefits of private time can be far-reaching as well.

Grandparenting is one of the most enjoyable jobs that you will ever be called to do. While raising kids is a wonderful experience, it must be balanced with discipline and the need to get plenty of tasks completed every single day. Grandparenting simply requires you to relish the time with those special children in your life. Mom and Dad will do the hard stuff, and you can simply have fun with those kids.