When it comes to senior care, there are a number of great teaching moments for children. When you are worried about your aging parents or other elderly loved one, the last thing you are thinking about is how your own children could benefit from the situation. However, having to take care of someone, or looking out for their well-being, can create great empathy in children of all ages.
So how do we recognize these potential teaching moments for children when we are involved in senior care? The first things to know are the boundaries and what to allow your children to witness and be a part of. Certainly you do not want your children to be responsible for anything that would cause them to become upset or harm them in any way.
The first thing that senior care offers children, as far as teaching moment, is to allow them to know their elderly relative, usually a grandparent, better. Children often get to see their grandparents during certain, controlled environments. This could be at birthday parties, holidays, or other family functions. However, if you need to take care of your aging parent, you could take your child along with you once in a while so they get to spend time with their grandparent in a situation other than those special occasions.
Having to check up on an elderly loved one can show children about the need to care for others, and to think about others’ needs above their own. Children often focus on only what they want or what they need, but if they are assisting you in taking care of a grandparent who needs a little extra help during the day, they will begin to realize the positive value in giving a little bit of themselves and their time to others in need.
Children can also learn a great deal about responsibility if they are involved in some way with senior care. Being responsible for the safety and well-being of another person can help a younger child learn that organization and being dependable are assets that should be embraced.
Senior care is not something that anybody, especially adult children, look forward to when it comes to their parent or grandparent. It is certainly not something that you plan on as a potential teaching moment for your own children. But if you have children and you have an elderly loved one who requires a little extra assistance, you can offer a powerful teaching moment to your children at the same time.
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