The Spanish Confederation of Organizations of the Elderly (CEOMA) is a non-profit organization created for the defense of the rights of the elderly. They remind us that today is the Grandparent's Day.
Coinciding with the festival of San Joaquin and Santa Ana (the parents of the Virgin Mary), we are going to remember a little more about our children's grandparents, and more in the social context we go through. And it is that for many families they have become the fundamental axis of economic support.
And also to celebrate this Grandparents Day, the NGO Development and Assistance volunteer has undertaken a campaign on Twitter so that no grandfather is left without congratulation and so that each of us remember all the good things that grandparents bring us. The campaign, called 'Dear Grandparents', consists of using the hashtag #QueridosAbuelos in each tweet sent throughout the day of July 26 to share with the other users the personal virtues of the grandparents themselves, and all the characteristics that make them so important for families and for society.
According to CEOMA, grandparents have become family economic hubs, helping children cope with economic support and educating grandchildren. Intergenerational relationships are essential in a changing society like ours, in which the rhythm of work invades everyday life and the education of children is in the hands of grandparents. They are the ones who spend more time with the little ones. The role of grandparents has changed dramatically and it is noted that for many, the care of grandchildren has become their obligation and responsibility
But if older people are important for the economic (and often emotional) support of nuclear families, we would also have to take care of them, respect them, and teach children to take them into account, right?
About this last Messengers of Peace can teach us a little more, in fact they have recently commissioned a survey of Tecel Estudios - Sigma Dos. The results show that according to respondents 63.2% of Spaniards believe that grandparents are treated with the respect and affection they deserve, having obtained negative responses from people who are 30 to 44 years old.
And following the aforementioned survey, 78.2% of the people who have been asked, are clear that without the help of many grandparents, the welfare society could not be maintained. Those who most recognize the contribution of grandparents to today's society are women and age groups between 30 to 44/45 to 64 years.
For each of you, What role have grandparents played in your lives?, because according to this study of Messengers for Peace, 62% of Spaniards recognize that they are very important, with women being the ones who give the best value to their own grandparents. Among age groups, those under 30 consider mostly this importance, most likely because these young people have experienced the incorporation of mothers into the labor market and their grandparents will have played a more prominent educational role.
I leave you with some statements by José Luis Méler and Ugarte (president of CEOMA), who tells us that 'grandparents are more than a good nursery / school, since they become an effective complement to the parents' educational task'
