Celebrating Grandparents!

Happy Grandparent's Month! That's right, September is Grandparent's Month, so it's the perfect time to remind ourselves of how important grandparents are to our special children and to give grandparents a nice big hug and thank you!

See below for our collection of articles about grandparenting children who are blind or visually impaired. We've also got a couple of really nice grandparent giveaways this month!

Dear Grandparents: This letter lets grandparents know what their children need from them. When a baby is born with a vision impairment, their parents need love, support, and lots of help. That's where grandparents come in!
Grandchildren's Music Giveaway! Enter to win this wonderful collection of traditional folk songs from Daria. You remember all those songs your grandparents used to sing to you? Do you remember the words? Well, Daria's got you covered! She's also including a wonderful musical washboard (complete with a thimble and spoon for playing) to help you get your kids (or grandkids) in that good old timey music mood!
Grandparents Make a Difference: Carol writes about the birth of her granddaughter, Riley, and how the whole family came together to help each other and support Riley's parents. As Carol says, "LOVE and SUPPORT are probably the most precious gifts you can give."
Grandparenting Book Giveaway! Enter to win this fabulous book about grandparenting, In Celebration of Grandparenting. The book explains the best ways to interact with children with little or no vision and gives ideas for toys and games you can play. It also discusses what to do about your other grandkids (who may be feeling neglected) and how best to offer your advice to your own children without overstepping your bounds. It's really a great resource for grandparents!
Using Music to Connect the Generations: Singer and songwriter Daria believes in the power of music to help us with just about everything - and I agree with her! In this article she writes about how we can use music to bridge the gap between generations as grandparents sing songs to their grandchildren.

Remember your grandparents this month and let them know how important they are! If you'd like to share your own story, please let us know or post it to our Facebook page.

Happy Grandparent's Month!

More Resources for Grandparents

Future Reflections, a journal from NFB, contains helpful articles for and personal stories about families with children who are blind. We especially like their article Grandparents Fill the Gap, about Pat and Jerry Jones, two grandparents raising 11-year-old twin girls who are both blind. Their story was first printed in 1998 and discusses the rising trend of grandparents raising grandchildren without the parents present.

TSBVI offers many resources on their website. You might want to read How to Help & Cope When Your Grandchild Has a Disability. This article, published in 2009, delivers advice from Tom and Gwen Besnett, grandparents to Orion who has Dandy-Walker syndrome and is legally blind.

Are you looking for a nice book to read to your grandchild? How about Knots on a Counting Rope by John Archambault? This is a story told in two voices, the grandfather and the grandson (so if you're good at making up voices, this would be perfect). The grandson was born blind and the grandfather tells the grandson about what it was like when he was born and what a good job he has done growing up big and strong. This is a sweet story about the love between a grandfather and his grandson who is blind, and how the grandson is richer and stronger because of this relationship.

Grandparents love to sing with their grandchildren, but maybe you've forgotten the words to some of the classic nursery rhymes. And did you know that most nursery rhymes also involve fun fingerplay? Check out our collection of Nursery Rhyme Videos and you'll get a refresher course in music and finger fun!