I recently saw the film Melania. It is a documentary about the days leading up to Donald Trump‘s second inauguration from early January 2025 until the day after the inauguration. The documentary follows Melania through her preparations for the big day and the move back to the White House for her husband’s second term in office. There were many interesting points in the movie which may be discussed in another post but one of the things I noticed was that many times when I saw the Trump’s nineteen year old son, Barron, in the film, he was often with his grandfather, Melania’s father, Viktor Knass. In fact, Melania makes mention of the living arrangements during the first term in comparison to the living arrangements the second term. Her parents lived in the White House to help her with Barron as she traveled with the President and she mentioned that her father would be joining them again as they moved back into the White House, this time, however without her mother who passed away two years ago.
I recall during the inauguration last year, Barron was often standing or seated next to his grandfather at events. It seems as if the two have a very close relationship, which is a benefit to both and nice to see….
Most likely, you have heard the reports of the mutual benefits of the grandparent/grandchild relationship. Data shows that for the grandparents benefits include a reduction of depression and isolation as well as it could help slow down the cognitive decline some adults experience and some grandparents seem to have an improved memory than non-grandparents. For grandchildren, the relationship can create close bonds also emotional stability or reduction in stress for a child and a lower risks of developing depression primarily in times of family disruption. A strong relationship with their grandparents can also benefit a child by increasing their empathy, resilience, and better social adjustment as they age.
Because of distance, this can be difficult for some families. Planning regular visits or regular FaceTime can benefit these relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren….
I remember growing up in St. Nicholas Orthodox Church and attending when I was college aged. I recall seeing a 12 or 13-year-old boy regularly walk in with his grandmother who lived with his family. The boy would walk his grandmother in after his mom or dad dropped them off at the front door while they parked the car and it was a very beautiful thing to see them walking into church together. He would take off her coat and hang it over the pew for her She would put her arm around him occasionally during church. It was very apparent that they were a close family.
Grandparents can sort of be that buffer between the parent and the child. Not necessarily a referee, but an auxiliary parent. A child only has one set of parents and they are the most important adults in a child’s life, for sure. However, to have at least one grandparent, if not two sets of grandparents who are involved with your children can help in other ways as well. Young parents absolutely love their children, but they are inexperienced and can also have many questions. They lack wisdom that a grandparent would have. When a child’s parents are close to their grandparents and the relationship is a good one, the parents can benefit from the wisdom of the grandparents. Is important for the grandparents to be respectful of their place in the family and not overstep their bounds , for young parents to have access to more experienced adults who only have their best interest in mind, is so valuable. Young parents love their children. They are excited about taking on the role as a new parent and to have experienced adults at their fingertips to bounce ideas off of and ask questions of, is so valuable.
A friend of mine told me that her mother told her when she became a grandparent that she would not overstep her bounds as a grandparent and would be glad to be a support and occasionally babysit, but the only time she would step in, is if she thought the child was in danger in anyway. I thought that was a very good philosophy to have. For myself as a grandparent, I try to only give my opinion when it’s asked for. I think it’s an important to remember as a grandparent that there are many ways to raise healthy and well-behaved children, every body has their own idea for what that looks like and that it’s best to be known as a good role model and support for any young family, especially your own and not a know it all…This can make for many great days🍎
