Smart Senior

Relationship columns in the daily newspapers are filled with questions about how to
cement solid relationships. The questions are painful as people beg for help to
keep or bring families together.   One
lady wrote complaining that while her children were physically gone she
couldn’t get them to take their “stuff” with them. Most parents have that
problem at one time or another.  You are
probably still wondering if it is okay to turn the kid’s room into a sewing
room or give treasures to Good Will.  Is
there a proper time to cut this particular umbilical cord?

Have you ever thought about
why their “stuff” is still there?  It
might not have anything to do with how much room they have at their new place.
Have you thought about what having a home to return to means?  Keeping a room or a box of treasures is like
telling them that they still belong.  When
I went away to school my sister moved back home with her children.  My room became her room and my “stuff” went
to Goodwill because there was no place for it to be.  When I would go home to visit on the odd
weekends that I had off, I had to sleep on the floor in the living room.  I no longer had a place.  Well, you guessed it; I soon stopped going
home. Of course I regret that now and I wish I had reacted differently, but I
felt displaced.   Having a special place for children and
grandchildren to call their own when they visit is a lovely way to let them
know that they are always welcome.

This all came to mind when I
read a delightful article in The Wall Street Journal (Wednesday, March 20,
2013) written by Alina Dizik.  She wrote
about a new trend.  Instead of
downsizing, some grandparents are renovating their homes to create comfortable
living quarters for their favorite overnight houseguests.   In this
instant they are talking about their grandchildren.  Basements and attics get the full treatment and are turned into suites of
rooms where the grandchildren will feel like welcome members of the
family.  This is a different approach
than we knew when we were kids.   We were
expected to be quiet and unobtrusive.  We
were usually bored out of our minds when the grown-ups got together to
talk.  It wasn’t fun and we weren’t very
old before we started looking for excuses not to visit our grandparents.

So, does the idea of
providing a haven for your children
and your grandchildren appeal to you? Would you consider creating a suite of
rooms that can grow with the children as they age, or accommodate multiple
grandkids?  Think about height-adjustable
tables and chairs, unisex color schemes, stain proof upholstery and flooring
that holds up to spills and tumbles.  The
sky is the limit as far as budget is concerned but it is possible to create a
haven for the kids without spending thousands.  
Your home could be special. It could be a fun and relaxing place for
them to visit.