Introduction

This chapter explores the significance of grandparent-grandchild relationships and their impact on both individual identity and emotional wellbeing. Margaret Mead (Blackberry Winter: My Earlier Years. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972) argued that access to both grandparents and grandchildren is essential for a full cultural and historical sense of self (Mead, Blackberry Winter: My Earlier Years. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1972; Barranti, The Grandparent/Grandchild Relationship: Family Resource in an Era of Voluntary Bonds. Family Relations: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Studies 34 (3): 343–352. https://doi.org/10.2307/583572 , 1985). Kornhaber and Woodward (Grandparents / Grandchildren: The Vital Connection. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers, 1985) later highlighted that children’s emotional health relies on a direct connection with their grandparents. Kemp (“Grand” Expectations: The Experiences of Grandparents and Adult Grandchildren. The Canadian Journal of Sociology 29 (4): 499–525, https://doi.org/10.1353/cjs.2005.0011 , 2004) characterized these relationships as sources of unconditional support, distinct from parent-child dynamics, and Kahana et al. (Grandparents-grandchild Relationships: A Proposed Mutuality Model with a Focus on Young Children and Adolescents. In Grandparenting: Influences on the Dynamics of Family Relationships, ed. Bert Hayslip and Christine A. Fruhauf, 61–80. New York: Springer Publishing Company, 2019) emphasized the potential for strengthening these bonds to enhance the lives of older adults and bridge generational gaps. Demographic shifts, such as increased life expectancy and declining fertility rates, are reshaping family structures (Bengtson, Beyond the Nuclear Family. Journal of Marriage and Family 63(1): 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2001.00001.x , 2001; Matos and Neves, Understanding Adolescent Grandchildren’s Influence on Their Grandparents. In Contemporary Grandparenting: Changing Family Relationships in Global Contexts, ed. Sara Arber and Virpi Timonen, 203–224. Bristol: Policy Press, 2012; Jensen et al. Childhood and Generation in Norway: Money, Time and Space. In Children’s Welfare in Ageing Europe ed. An-Magritt Jensen, 335–457. Trondheim: Norsk senter for barneforskning, 2004). Harper (Ageing Societies. London: Hodder Education, 2006) described this transformation as the ‘verticalization of the family structure’, underscoring the growing importance of intergenerational relationships (Soliz and Lin, Communication in Grandparent-grandchild Relationships. In Widening the Family Circle: New Research on Family Communication, 2nd ed. ed. Floyd, Kory and Mark T. Morman, 35–50. Thousand Oaks: SAGE. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483387956.n3 , 2014; Kivnick, Grandparenthood: An Overview of Meaning and Mental Health. Gerontologist 22 (1): 59–66. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/22.1.59 , 1982). Grandparents are increasingly significant in the lives of their grandchildren (King and Elder, The Legacy of Grandparenting: Childhood Experiences with Grandparents and Current Involvement with Grandchildren. Journal of Marriage and Family, 59 (4): pp. 848–859. https://doi.org/10.2307/353787 , 1997; Hodgson, Adult Grandchildren and Their Grandparents: The Enduring Bond. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 34 (3): 209–225. https://doi.org/10.2190/PU9M-96XD-CFYQ-A8UK , 1992; Dunifon 2013). The chapter introduces the book’s focus on the experiences of grandchildren, highlighting a gap in research. It introduces the concept of ‘grandchild practices’ and sets the stage for an in-depth examination of these relationships through qualitative research.