Don’t grow up too fast, don’t take family for granted and don’t be afraid to fail – three sage pieces of advice from America’s grandparents, as revealed by new research.
A new heartwarming study of 2,000 Americans about their grandparents compiled the most important pieces of advice people ever received from their grandpas and grandmas.
Taking pride in being punctual, never bottling up emotions and going all out to make a great first impression were some of the other nuggets of advice Americans say their grandparents often recited.
While grandparents may only be in our lives for a brief time, the things they teach us stick with us forever. In fact, the average American says they learned six useful skills from their grandparents growing up.
The new survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Home Health Care Shoppe, found that the number one thing we learn from our grandparent’s is how to be thankful (62 percent).
Over half of those surveyed (53 percent) said that their grandparents actually taught them how to cook, while 40 percent of Americans said their grandparents taught them how to be smart with money.
One in three Americans said their grandparents would always pick them out thoughtful gifts, and 30 percent said they never failed to send a card on their birthday.
In fact, half of those who responded said they actually felt closer to their grandparents growing up than their actual parents.
Getty ImagesWhich is why 95 percent of Americans say it’s important to them that their grandparents are well taken care of and have a great quality of life.
“The results of the study showed that the things our grandparents teach us in our childhood stick with us throughout our entire life,” said Wayne Kwiatkowski, General Manager of Home Health Care Shoppe. “Seeing that almost every respondent said it was important to them that the elders in their lives were well taken care of warmed our hearts. It’s the most significant token of thanks you can give them.”
But unfortunately, 35 percent of survey respondents said that their grandparents aren’t or weren’t taken care of as well as they could have been during the end of their lives.
When a grandparent passes on, it’s common to feel like you didn’t capitalize on time spent together, as 29 percent of survey respondents with a deceased grandparent said.
Half of those Americans also said they wished they could hear more of their stories, while another 57 percent just wish they could spend more time with them.
“We at Home Health Care Shoppe believe that with great health and wellbeing, anybody can live a great, purposeful life,” continued Kwiatkowski. “That’s why we dedicate our time to bringing people a wide range of products that make life a little bit easier.”
Top 10 things we appreciate about our grandparents
- Their love 71%
- Their stories 64%
- Their cooking skills 55%
- Their wisdom/advice 55%
- The lessons they taught me 49%
- They were always there for me 45%
- Their honesty 43%
- Their humor/jokes 36%
- Their thoughtful gifts 33%
- Always sending a card on my birthday 30%
Top 5 things we learned from our grandparents
- How to be thankful 62%
- How to cook 53%
- How to clean 41%
- How to be smart with money 40%
- How to do basic DIY 27%
10 pieces of advice from America’s grandparents
- Don’t grow up too fast
- Don’t take your family for granted
- Don’t be afraid to fail or lose at anything you chose to do in life
- If you are not 10 minutes early you’re late
- To always feel my emotions and not to bottle them up inside
- Write everything down
- You can learn a lot by keeping quiet and watching
- You never get a second chance at a first impression
- Live by your words and stand by it
- If something doesn’t feel right with you, then it’s not right at all


