I graduated from high school on June 15, 2013. The following day, I packed up my belongings and headed to the Hamptons with my maternal grandmother. That summer - and each summer since then - I have lived with my grandparents and worked in the Hamptons to earn money for college. It's amazing what you learn spending your days with older folks. I highly recommend living with your grandparents at some point during your life, for some extended time, maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months, preferably sometime between the ages of 15-25. Nearing the end of high school, entering or finishing college, or transferring into the "real" world, the time you spend with your grandparents can be a mutually beneficial experience, and here is why.
1. Both of you learn how the times have changed
Your grandparents most likely have some years on you - unless one of them or one of your parents robbed the cradle - and with that difference in years comes different generations, different perspectives on lifestyles and even thoughts. Depending on how up-to-date they are, grandparents likely aren't real keen on using or even understanding the internet or cell phones. Maybe they even pronounce wireless internet or Wi-Fi as "weeee-feeee," as my grandmother likes to call it. But seeing as she does not have wi-fi - or even wired internet in her house - and I use the free Wi-Fi at the nearest Starbucks, I guess I cannot expect better.
2. You learn to enjoy the present and make the most of your youth
If there is something you wish you could do, then go do it - NOW - while you are young and hopefully healthy enough to do it. At least one of your grandparents likely will tell you this at least once while you are living in their house and maybe even if you just visit them. If you want to travel, then go for it. Oh, and enjoy eating desserts while you have that insanely high metabolism, because you likely won't be so lucky when you get to be their age and have health problems up the wazoo or you cannot physically exercise enough to burn it off.
3. You find a new appreciation for your body
Speaking of working out, do that now, too, while you still can. Play sports. Go run. But also take care of your body. What you do now impacts life after 40 and even more so after 50. You also move A LOT faster in your younger years, so don't take that for granted. Every day I am with my grandma, I realize how lucky I am to be able to move fast, get to things quickly, climb stairs unassisted, and do daily menial tasks efficiently and without any worry about whether I even CAN do any of those things, let alone do them quickly.
4. Your grandparents’ wisdom is impeccable
People will say that you learn from doing and from making your own mistakes, but you also can learn from other people's mistakes and knowledge without having to make the same mistakes yourself. A lot can happen in a year, let alone in lots of years, and your grandparents have a lot of experience and knowledge that you can use to your advantage to avoid future mistakes, or at least maybe to provide you with some additional information to help you to make a better informed decision. Times may have changed, but that doesn't mean they won't say, "This isn't my first rodeo," when it comes to most things in life. Whenever your grandparents take the time to give you some piece of advice, at least take the time to listen, thank them, and then take a moment to assess whether their advice might actually help you before you act.
5. They treat you as if you were their own kid instead of their grandkid
Heck, if you're lucky, or maybe not so lucky, then your grandparents might even call you by your parent's name once in a while - or maybe even more often - if you resemble them like I do my mom. They may drive you places, shop for you, make sure you have everything you need, and treat you almost like a friend, only younger. They may want to go places with you and they may say that you keep them young. If they do this, take a moment to appreciate the time you spend with them and realize that they, like your parents, will not be around forever.
6. You learn about your family history, for better AND for worse
Grandparents have LOTS of stories, and lots of stories that they are willing to share. They'll tell you about your parents. About their own parents. About their siblings. About people who you might maybe see once in a blue moon - maybe at a family reunion if you're lucky. But you will get to learn a little about ALL of them the more time you spend with your grandparents. I even got to visit some of my grandma's siblings (my aunts and uncles whom I had never met) and their kids (my cousins), and I learned a lot about all of them. When you are younger, you don't realize just how important family is, but you appreciate your family more as you grow up. One of my life goals is to visit all 50 states in the U.S., and now I have connections in several more states to make that goal more feasible and cost efficient because I have relatives who already live there!
7. You might make a quick buck
"Can you clean the kitchen?," "Can you vacuum the carpet?," "Can you rake the leaves?" You've likely heard one of these from your grandparents if you ever visit them, but when you live with them, it's likely to be a more regular thing. Those little chores add up to some solid dough after a few times. Ka-ching, ka-ching.
8. You acquire new belongings
I cleaned my grandma's house for her, and I found some things that she let me keep because she didn’t want them anymore, or were supposed to go to me eventually but distance and forgetfulness kept her from giving them to me on occasional visits. Some nice coffee mugs or glassware, even a set of China. As they age, grandparents want fewer items in their house, and they may give you them to help prepare you to be on your own. It's also nice inheriting items that can then stay in the family and you don't have to spend money on to buy yourself later on.
9. Happy Days
Time spent with grandparents is usually happy. Plus, they are usually pretty complimentary, so they make you feel good about yourself, especially when you get to see or hear how proud they are of you in front of other people. Sure, it's nice when they hang your art work on their fridge when you're a kid, but when you're older and you go places with them, they get to show you off. How can you have a bad day when they are praising you every time they introduce you to someone? Trust me, that will never get old.
10. Their love is unconditional
One of the best parts about living with your grandparents is the reminder that you are so loved. Growing up, I only got to see my maternal grandma a few times a year, but now I get to see her every day for entire summers. She has sent me cards and care packages to my campus address, and she calls me from time to time - sometimes every week - just to see how I am doing and what I'm up to. It's always nice knowing someone cares and is thinking of you, and who better than your grandparents?
Don’t get me wrong, my parents love me very much, and they remind me of this often, but there is something special about the time you can spend living with your grandparents for a little while. For me, it was a great decision to do so and a great experience, and I hope you will consider doing it yourself after reading what I learned from living with my grandparents for three summers.
