Children and Grandparents Who Spend Time With Each Other Are Happier and Live Longer

After a study proved that grandparents who spend time with their grandchildren tend to live longer, others have found that it’s equally beneficial for children. Kids who are close to their grandparents are happier and less likely to be depressed in the future.

We at Bright Side were intrigued by this and would like to share the details with you. At the end of the article, we also put together a sweet bonus for you!

Grandparents share a powerful bond with their grandchildren and to find out more about it, researchers at the University of Oxford decided to dig deeper. They collected data from over 1,500 children and examined them. After going through the statistics, it was found that children who live with their grandparents or are close to them have fewer emotional problems and are happier.

They also lead to a better quality of life and have fewer chances of becoming depressed as they grow up. In fact, another study is claiming that these rewarding symptoms flow both ways when grandparents get to be with their grandbabies. Both grandparents and children are less likely to be depressed when they’re in each other’s company. It’s a win-win!

But not everything found in the study is positive. Published in Oxford’s The Gerontologist, the research adds that this relationship may also increase depressive symptoms for the elderly when they only receive care and are unable to give anything back. It has also been observed that children tend to drift away from their grandparents once they reach early adulthood. But they come back around as they mature and start missing their “gran-grans.”

Sadly, in some areas of the world, grandparents have no legal rights over their grandchildren. If the parents decide to take their children away, they will have no access to them. This study was conducted to spread awareness about how important it is for grandchildren to spend time with their grandparents.

Grandchildren make the lives of their grandparents more active and joyful. Grandmas get to nurture and babysit while granddads get to mentor the children and tell them great tales of their experiences. Grandparents who spend time with their grandbabies have a 37% lower mortality risk when compared to ones who have no care to give. Let children bloom with their grandparents and spread smiles!

Bonus: Grandparents being adorable with their grandkids

1. A mini-me of her grandpa

2. “Me and grandma, 1992. Grandma is still healthy as a horse and can out-jog me on my good days.”

3. “Once a ninja, always a ninja. 3-year-old me and my grandpa back in 1987”

4. “Me and my grandpa in medical school, 70 years apart (equally sleep-deprived)”

5. “My grandpa meeting my son for the first time.”

Were you close to your grandparents when growing up? Do your children get along with theirs? Share some happy faces with us in the comments!