Appreciating Your Extended Family

Keeping in touch with extended family offers benefits for children and parents.

Even though we live a fair distance from our extended families, I like to take up the opportunity to spend time with them whenever possible. Extended family has lots to offer kids as they're growing up - a chance to bond with adults other than their parents and adult relatives give kids different role models to evaluate and imitate.

As a parent, aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins also offer a chance for you to take a glimpse at the genetic makeup that your own children have inherited. Seeing your biological child and their grandparent side by side can sometimes show you uncanny similarities in mannerisms and attitude!

If you've got extended family living nearby, it's easy to take them for granted, especially as families go through the usual ups and downs of relationships. Keeping those connections strong benefits your kids and can give you unique insights into your child's personality and traits, which can help you parent them with more compassion and understanding.