Archive · 2 Sep 2025
Emigration Reshapes Grandparenting: Emotional Ties Across Borders
Imagine your family moves far away.
This article is about how grandparents in South Africa still love their grandchildren, even if they live in different countries.
Because families are moving abroad, grandparents can't see their grandchildren every day.
They miss out on the simple things like spontaneous visits.
Instead, they talk on video calls and send each other messages.
The article explains that even though it's hard, grandparents find ways to stay close, like visits, calls, photos and virtual interaction.
It shows that distance doesn't break family bonds, but it does change how grandparents show love.
It also shows that the role of parents plays an important role in keeping these relationships strong.
Emigration disrupts the traditional hands-on involvement of grandparents.
Grandparents experience a sense of loss due to the absence of physical closeness.
Grandparents are finding creative ways to remain emotionally present.
Virtual communication and transnational visits are key strategies.
The role of parents is critical in maintaining emotional bonds.
- Who
- South African grandparents whose children have emigrated.
- What
- The impact of emigration on grandparent-grandchild relationships.
- When
- The research took place recently.
- Where
- South Africa and abroad.
- Why
- To understand how grandparents adapt and maintain emotional ties across borders.
- Study Focus
- Impact of global emigration on South African grandparents and grandchildren born abroad.
- Participants
- 44 individuals
- Research Methods
- In-depth interviews and qualitative surveys.
- Key Strategies
- Virtual communication and transnational visits to maintain connection.
- Challenges
- Loss of everyday involvement, emotional strain, and digital communication difficulties.