There’s something incredibly special about the relationship children develop with their grandparents. I mean, just look at the title itself—grandparents. Parents are wonderful; in the best cases they raise us, feed us, clothe us, shelter us, and love us. They’re unparalleled in so many ways, but grandparents…I mean, c’mon, they’re grand!
Grandparents are the ones who love you just as much as your parents do, but without that burdensome yoke of responsibility of making sure you grow into a functioning member of society. They’re all the fun without the consequences (generally speaking, of course). They have a free pass to spoil you in ways no one else can get away with, and they’re usually keen to do so because who doesn’t love being adored by the littles in their life—especially when they get to hand those aforementioned littles off to their parental units at the end of the day. Like I said: all fun, no consequences. While all of that is certainly true for many people regarding the relationships they have with their grandparents, there are definitely many more meaningful aspects to those relationships as well, particularly as one gets older. If we’re blessed to have the presence of grandparents in our lives as adults, they often offer amazing wisdom and perspective for our daily lives. They can be some of our greatest cheerleaders, most trusted confidants, and steady sources of unconditional love and encouragement.
As someone who’s had to traverse the painful road of losing all four of my grandparents, I hold a very special place in my heart for those relationships. A few months ago, my mother-in-law spent a few weeks with us and, more recently, my parents visited us for two weeks. For my daughter, it was her first time meeting all three of them in person. Though she’d had multiple interactions with them over FaceTime and Zoom calls, we didn’t know what to expect with how she’d react to these people she sort of knew being in her life so intimately all of a sudden. We needn’t have worried, though. To put it succinctly, the grandparent bond was victorious again. She absolutely, unequivocally loves her grandparents with abandon. My heart was so full watching my daughter experience this extraordinary relationship with grandparents and watching my parents embrace their new roles as grandma and grandpa for the first time.
I understand that not all families look the same. Not everyone has a positive relationship with their grandparents, and some have never had the opportunity to know their grandparents at all. Honestly, that is tragic to me. As hard as it is living in a world in which my grandparents are no longer present, I count myself eternally grateful for the time I had with them and the memories I can and will cherish forever. Regardless of one’s personal and particular history with grandparents, I think we can probably all agree that when those relationships are good and healthy, they are remarkable, incomparable. They invoke in us the some of the best feelings life has to offer—a mixture of love, attention, support, adoration, and the impression that you are of the utmost importance.
I dub this concoction of feelings The Grandparent Touch. A positive grandparent relationship always seems to lead to the Grandparent Touch. Now, imagine a world in which every relationship, every interaction benefited from The Grandparent Touch. When I think about how wonderful my grandparents made me feel, I ask myself as an entrepreneur: how can I make my prospective clients feel that way too? I want my clients to feel heard, as if they have my undivided attention at all times. I want them to feel as if I have adoration and devotion for their project and their project alone. I want to make them feel like they are the most important person in my world with the level of care, attention, and detail I offer them. At the conclusion of a gig, I want the client to feel as special as they would interacting with their grandparent. I want to channel my inner grandpa and provide them with the Grandparent Touch.
So, the next time you’re working with a client, try applying the Grandparent Touch yourself. Spoil them appropriately and leave them with fond memories. Make it an experience they can’t wait to repeat. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. Until next time, friends, keep telling stories. __________________________________________________________________________________ Are you in need of a quality voiceover for your next project? I'd love to help tell your story! Request a quote or check out my Demos. I look forward to working with you! Tyler Robbert Voiceover Artist | Storyteller tyler@tylerrobbertvo.com www.tylerrobbertvo.com Like what you read here? Looking for more ways to sate that hunger for VO-related content? Try checking out some of these other awesome blogs from within the VO community!