Which of the following contributes to developing a grandparenting style?

• A. Childhood memories of grandparents.
• B. Perceptions of the way parents acted as grandparents.
• C. Attitudes picked up about grandparenting from the media.
• D. Calculation of what can be obtained from grandchildren.

Answer: (C)

The main idea is that how you see and approach the grandparenting role is shaped by socialization and the beliefs you internalize about what that role should look like. Attitudes picked up from the media play a powerful part because media provides widespread, normative scripts about grandparenting—how involved to be, what to value, and how to relate to grandchildren. Those messages can shape your own style more broadly and consistently than more limited, personal experiences.

Personal memories of your own grandparents or how your parents acted as grandparents can influence your approach, but they are more about intimate modeling within a family than broad cultural scripts. The notion of calculating what you can obtain from grandchildren reflects motives rather than a style development. So media-derived attitudes best explain how a grandparenting style emerges across different contexts.