Sharing Your Faith With Your Grandkids

Ian Barnett from The Grandparenthood Podcast encourages you to make the most of more time, involvement and intentional investment.

Key points:

Have you noticed?

According to Ian Barnett, grandparents in the 21st Century have more access to and direct interaction with their grandchildren.

“The reality is we have opportunities now… that we may not [even] have had with our own kids” said Ian on The Grandparenthood Podcast.

Ian is the founder and leader of The National Grandparent Movement, encouraging grandparents to meaningfully invest in their grandchildren.

Ian spoke with Hope Mornings‘ Ben McEachen about the increased opportunity grandparents have to share their Christian faith.

As parents, Ian pointed out that you can be “working hard, paying off mortgages, doing all sorts of things. You’re busy.”

Grandparents in the 21st Century have more access to and direct interaction with their grandchildren.

Ian believed that, for grandparents, there can be more reflective time about and greater awareness of close relationships.

“As grandparents, you start to realise, ‘I should have done this with my own kids’ – spoken up about who you are as a Christian,” Ian said.

“The struggles you have, why you go to church and why you are dragging your kids to Sunday School when they don’t want to go.

“You probably didn’t give them the time to explain [your faith] so, many now have walked away from church, especially the generation after the Boomers.”

As they observe your words and deeds, seize the moment to let grandkids know how your faith influences you.

One instant way grandparents can begin to share Christian faith with their grandchildren is already available, every day.

Ian said grandchildren are watching what grandparents do.

As they observe your words and deeds, seize the moment to let the grandkids know how your faith influences everything you do.

“You can engage with them and just speak about the great day God has given us,” Ian said.

“You can put language in your conversations that actually helps them realise you believe in something bigger than what we are experiencing in this world.”

Listen to the full episode of Grandparenthood in the player above or wherever you get your podcasts, as Ian offers other practical ways to share faith, including when your own children do not profess to be Christian.

Feature image: photos by CanvaPro