The Value of Grandchildren to Grandmothers

This study explored the values of grandchildren to 90 grandmothers; 30 providing child care, 30 living in the same city but not providing regular child care, and 30 living in different cities. For over four-fifths, grandchildren represented an expansion of self beyond their own lifetimes. For three-fifths, grandchildren filled a need for creativity, accomplisment, and competence. Overall, the grandchildren were highly valued for multiple personal and social reasons which differed significantly among the groups according to the geographical and social proximity of grandmothers and grandchildren. Those grandmothers in closest contact ranked each value dimension higher than those having less contact.