The Best Ways You Can Bond With Your Grandparents & Share Happiness

Bonding with your grandparents may never be easy, but have you ever tried to fill in the gaps? Richelle Adarsh, a teenage changemaker keen on cross-generational learning, shares with us some ways of filling generation gaps that make it a win-win for both generations. 

Until I was 11 years old, my grandparents were almost like my roommates- we’d watch TV together, take naps together, eat together- and I wasn’t complaining. However, they moved out soon after and I got busy with school, extra classes, and my friends, just like any other teenager. I made sure to visit them on the weekends and stay over, and I wanted to use this short period of time to make up for the five days I was away from them. Want to know how? By indulging with them in activities that were enjoyable for both my grandparents and me. These activities helped me maintain the bond that was under threat of growing weaker due to distance.

Here are some ways that I bonded with my grandparents at home. The younger generation can try these methods online and knit a close bond with their grandparents even if they don’t live together or close enough to be able to visit.

Grandparents are the closest means to time travel

And that’s free entertainment for hours on end. So why would you give up an amazing opportunity to vicariously experience what it was like during the age of zero traffic, waiting weeks to receive letters which were the equivalent of today’s text message, or learning how they survived in a world that we would now consider extremely boring? Grandparents would gladly narrate their entire life story, and even if this is the seventh time you’re hearing about it, there’s a particular novelty to it, be it a tiny new detail that you had previously missed out on, or a new layer of meaning you’ve unraveled as you have grown older yourself.

Learning grandparents’ special recipes and kitchen hacks

   It is common knowledge that the food that our grandparents make is unsurpassable. We may never be able to do justice to their cooking, but we can attempt to learn these recipes and their history, or certain tried and tested kitchen hacks that have come in handy over the years. Perhaps you could co-author a cookbook with your grandparents or help them write one like Ummi Abdulla’s granddaughter Nazneen did, filled with some delicious heirloom recipes to be passed down from generation to generation. Another great kitchen activity would be collaborating with your grandparents to give their traditional recipes a modern twist!  

Exchanging tips on fashion and styling

When I was younger, I found immense joy in pestering my grandmother to let me “style” her beautiful, long hair only to tangle it up into an inextricable mess. I don’t think it’s necessary to put our grandparents through this torture to bond with them. However, a fun dress-up session– learning how to drape a saree or other traditional clothing, and in turn, maybe giving some of their clothes a modern twist, or helping them shop for clothes online would certainly evoke laughter while judging each other’s fashion choices.

Helping them navigate the virtual world

  Besides helping them set up Whatsapp, Instagram or Facebook, helping them navigate around websites like Pinterest, or even Spotify could encourage them to explore their interests. It is also a great opportunity to collaborate by making mood boards or maybe even a playlist of your favorite songs together! For inspiration, check out Mr & Mrs Verma on Instagram. Their granddaughter introduced them to it during the lockdown and they’ve been slaying it ever since.  

Passing on niche skills

  A grandmother knitting a sweater, or a grandfather tending to his garden may be as stereotypical as it gets, but these skills, along with various others, such as crochet or even carpentry are fading away. A short lesson every day might just save these dying art forms and you could help them by finding new designs, patterns, or projects that would give them the pleasure of creating something for their grandkids, or better still, work on a project together. Check out 75-year-old Asha Puri’s knitting venture with her granddaughter Krittika Sondhi – With Love From Granny.

These activities could be a melange of sharing knowledge– both new and old, bridging the gap between generations that has widened with the advent of technology. Rather than being ignorant about the intergenerational gap, you can use it as the quintessential tool to create new memories. So take some time off your (supposedly busy) schedules and prepare to not just strengthen this bond, but also discover yourself in the process. You may learn a thing or two (or more) from the grandparents and they may open a new window because of you!

About The Author

Richelle Adarsh is an 18-year-old student and teacher, thanks to SilverTalkies, currently debating which of her multiple interests like psychology, media studies, or journalism to major in while pursuing her undergraduate studies. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, dancing, and reading, apart from watching Netflix.