1. RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CHILDREN AND THEIR GRANDPARENTS IMPORTANCE OF OLDER GENERATIONS IN LIVES OF TODAY´S FAMILIES? Leona Stašová Eliška Křišíková University of Hradec Králové, Czech Republic

2. What role do the grandparents play in contemporary family life? What are the relationships of children and their grandparents?

3. What role can play grandparents for younger generations in the family life? (view of psychologists, sociologists, philosophers, educators, etc.) Grandparents as: Source of learning in basic knowledge Source of inspiration and of instruction in the area of relationships, social interactions and communication Patterns of perception of others and appropriate empathy Emotional support, help in critical moments Natural pattern, ideal of authority Support for the adoption of standards, rituals, traditions and values Foster parents and primary educators Economic support …..

4. What is the reality? ?

5. Context of: Individualization and fragmentation of family life, disruption of some traditional family ties Demographic changes (higher life expectancy, higher age by childbirth, time distance between generations) Increasing generation gap (changing culture and society, technologies´ development, different values and norms)

6. Relationships of generations today? Survey 2010 Respondents were children aged 12-13 years (104 respondents) and young people aged 16-18 years (98 respondents). From this number there were 137 women (67.8 %) and 65 men (32.2 %). 202 questionnaires were processed in total. Everybody had at least one grandparent. 44,6% of respondents had both maternal and paternal grandaparents

7. „ Are there differencies in relationships between children and their grandparents according to their living arrangements?“ Living together in one household x separately

8. 1)Intensity of contacts with grandparents 87,1% of respondents were in contact with one of the grandparents 38,1% meet their grandparents every day (mostly because of the joint household) Interest in meeting grandparents more often Respondents 12-13 years 16-18 yearsTotal % of representation Rather yes614510652,5 Rather no43539647,5

9. 2) Ways of contact with grandparents Way of communication 12-13 years 16-18 yearsTotal% Personal contact798716682,2 Via telephone -calling1992813,9 Via telephone- writing1120,9 E-mails3031,5 Writing letters2131,5

10. 3) Leisure time with grandparents chatting (49 %) housework and gardening (18 %) watching TV (6%) shopping (5%) something else (5%) (walking the dog, talking about money, playing cards, going for trips, learning on the computer and the Internet, etc.) 3% of respondents stated spending time with some kind of hobby

11. 4) Content of communication Girls x grandmothers – housework, cooking, recipes, family, friends, relatives Girls x grandfathers – youth of grandfathers, World War II, communism, school, boys Boys x grandmothers – school, sports, girl friends, parents Boys x grandfathers – technologies, do-it yourself, history, girls 20,3% of respondents were fully satisfied with the content of communication 2,5% fully not satisfied

12. 5) Evaluation of relationships´ quality Very good Rather good Rather bad Very bad Maternal grandmother 61,826,99,71,6 Maternal grandfather 46,639,710,92,8 Paternal grandmother 38,142,711,18,2 Paternal grandfather 33,640,819,75,9

13. 6) Grandparents as a pattern/idol (in %) Patterns in the family 12-13 years 16-18 yearsTotal Parents41.338.840.1 Siblings8.74.16.4 Grandmother6.76.16.4 Grandfather7.73.15.5 Someone else10.65.17.9 Nobody25.042.933.7

14. Conclusion Grandparents are valuable family members no matter what is the living arrangement. (The children need grandparents but do the grandparents want to be grandparents?) No effect of the living arrangements on the quality of relationships - possibility to use the modern media for intergenerational communication Close connection of generational attitudes to the family climate and attitudes of parents towards the grandparents – (the worse situation in the paternal line) …………………………….