Older adults are healthier when they have kids in their lives.
Dostoyevsky told us that “being with children soothes the soul.” Parents are often shocked when I tell them that children reduce our stress, but it’s true … particularly for grandparents. When we can look beyond the complex parent-child relationship, with its focus on safety, discipline and providing for needs, we can then experience the juxtaposition of unbridled optimism and experiential skepticism; of boundless energy and growing fatigue; of curiosity and experience; and of innocence and wisdom.
The result of this recipe is not always predictable, but it is healthy, satisfying and stress reducing, because when we are with children and not burdened of the duties and responsibilities of parenting, we are less likely to be anywhere else – not worrying about the world, or our aches and pains, or our finances, or our life expectancy. We are more likely to be in the moment with them and free from our self-induced stressors. Full article
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