Grandparents: A Catalyst for Dreams Come True

Research indicates that parental involvement in a child’s life has a powerful effect on a child’s development and academic achievement.  The earlier it begins, the better the outcomes.

Parents and grandparents have a tremendous impact on how their children view the world.  The adults’ involvement in the child’s world helps to create the blueprint for the rest of that child’s life.  Every moment counts, even if it is a brief one…

Here is a story of Joanna…

When 3-year-old Joanna started to draw, everybody was amazed.  She mostly drew horses, but everything she put on paper was beyond the drawing ability of most adults. Joanna grew up raised by her grandparents who quickly noticed her two interests: horses and drawing.  They made every effort to help her develop her talents.

At age 4, or so, Joanna’s grandfather signed her up for a drawing class at the local arts center.  He went with her to every lesson, and then bragged to all of the extended family how great she drew.

At age 5, Joanna started to ride ponies at local fairgrounds.  Living in a city made it difficult to accommodate her desire to ride horses during the school year, but summer time was a great opportunity for her to get away to the countryside, where she could ride freely.  When she was old enough, Joanna’s grandparents signed her up for official riding lessons and, with time, she became acutely interested in dressage (“horse ballet”).  She also started to cultivate her passion for photography.

Joanna was always quick to notice the hidden beauty of most obscure things.  Her sensitive nature helped her develop a sense of acute awareness of her surroundings. Her grandmother sat by her side for hours assisting with crayons and offering constructive criticism.  The warmth of those moments helped Joanna develop her skills of concentration that later came in handy when she trained as a dressage rider.

The precision of dressage riding helped Joanna in developing a sharp eye for detail that she finds extremely useful today in her work as a photographer. Her photography freezes the beauty of a moment that normally vanishes instantaneously. Her photo lens immortalizes what otherwise would escape in a blink of an eye. Through her work as a photographer, Joanna expresses her love for nature and the still moment.

                                                                                                                     Photo by Joanna Jodko

Joanna’s accomplishments in dressage and photography came from her hard work. However, her grandparents’ love, involvement in her activities, and warm encouragements helped her develop the skills she needed to be where she is today. That is a reminder to all the parents and grandparents out there that their children’s future depends on their interest and involvement in their children’s and grandchildren’s activities. 

Parents and grandparents are catalysts for their children’s future.

To view Joanna’s work, go to: http://www.jjodkophoto.exposuremanager.com/

DR. MONIKA PIS Dr. Monika Pis is the Editor in Chief of Plugged In Parents. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a doctoral degree earned at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  She has provided health care to infants, children, and adolescents for over a decade.