Everyday Grandchildhood: Grandchild Practices in Daily Lives

This chapter offers an in-depth exploration of how the role of being a grandchild is actively shaped and continually redefined through everyday interactions. This chapter emphasizes that grandchildhood is not a static or predefined role but is dynamically influenced by the ongoing, day-to-day practices between grandchildren and their grandparents. It highlights that activities such as mutual support, shared experiences, and continuous communication are crucial in forming and maintaining these relationships. Key studies referenced in the chapter (Holladay et al. (Re)Constructing Relationships with Grandparents: A Turning Point Analysis of Granddaughters’ Relational Development with Maternal Grandmothers’. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 46 (4): 287–303. https://doi.org/10.2190/00GV-5PWF-UDNH-EHDV , 1998; 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; Eldén et al., Grandchildhood: Care and Relationality in Narratives of Three Generations in Sweden. Childhood 31(1), 120–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/09075682231216630 , 2023; Nussbaum and Bettini, Shared Stories of the Grandparent-Grandchild Relationship. The International Journal of Aging and Human Development 39 (1): 67–80. https://doi.org/10.2190/7WPK-LM6C-QCA4-GQ4R , 1994; Lin et al., Conversation Topics and Communication Satisfaction in Grandparent-Grandchild Relationships. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 21 (3): 302–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X02021003005 , 2002) underscore the importance of these daily interactions in reinforcing the bonds between grandchildren and grandparents. The chapter argues that for many grandchildren, regular contact with grandparents is perceived as a normal, integral aspect of their lives. This perspective challenges more traditional family structures, which often idealize the cohabitation of two generations as the most socially desirable arrangement (Easthope et al., Changing Perceptions of Family: A Study of Multigenerational Households in Australia. Journal of Sociology, 53 (1): 182–200. https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783316635850 , 2016). By focusing on the significance of these routine interactions, the chapter reveals how grandchildren and grandparents continuously shape and sustain their relationship in everyday contexts.