The bond between grandparents and grandchildren is precious. Not only do grandparents spoil and play with their grandchildren, but they may also be influencing them in ways no one thought of. A study shows that kids who spend time with their grandparents are less likely to have ageist views towards the elderly.
The Bond Between Grandparents and Grandchildren
The study, done in Belgium, asked 1,151 young people ranging in age from 7 to 16-years-old about their time with their grandparents. Then the researchers asked about the kids’ views on aging and the elderly. The researchers found that kids who visited with their grandparents weekly, described their time with their grandparents as pleasant and had less ageist views.
Previous research showed that it was quality, not quantity, of visits was what affected the participants’ views. Though that test was done with university students instead of children.
The children were very open about their relationship with their grandparents and were surprised about the ageism that appeared in the questionaries. The study found that the amount of prejudice changed with the kids’ ages. 7-9-year-olds had the most negative view, while 10-12-year-olds were the most tolerant.
Teenagers also had prejudices, but still not as much as the youngest children. Of course, the grandparent’s health might have influenced the children’s views. Kids who were exposed to their grandparents having poor health, had more stereotypes of the elderly, than kids who had healthy grandparents.
Overall, the study found that both quality and quantity of the visits influence kids and their views on aging. Being exposed to other older people make the idea of aging less strange. Plus, kids can bring positive energy to the grandparents and get them up and moving.
Read more about the study here.