The Blackwoods, high school sweethearts approaching their forty-first anniversary, have practiced the art of grandparenting for nine years. After raising two daughters, Sharon and Heather, in a tradition of godly love, David and Brenda are continuing that Christian legacy with their six grandchildren. Years of experience have taught this couple that threefold love – towards their children, grandchildren, and ultimately the Lord – is the key to successful grandparenting.

For the Blackwoods, recognizing a grandparent’s appropriate role is critical to success. Instruction, they say, is not their responsibility; instead, support, reinforcement, and encouragement are the watchwords for their role as godly grandparents. “We don’t get involved in telling our children how to raise them,” David says. “If they ask our opinion, we’ll give it to them, but raising the grandkids is the parents’ responsibility.”
“We’ve raised our children,” Brenda says. “We’re here to support them in raising their children for the Lord in any way that we can.”      

Providing support rather than direct instruction has proved essential to the Blackwoods’ close relationship with their grandchildren. “The relationship with your grandkids is really an outgrowth of your relationship with your own kids,” says David. “We feel comfortable with our grandkids because we’re very comfortable with our daughters and their husbands.”

This open, respectful, and supportive communication with their daughters allows David and Brenda many opportunities to enjoy their grandchildren. To the Blackwoods, being a constant, visible presence in their grandchildren’s lives constitutes an important part of good grandparenting. “If it’s babysitting, if it’s going to games, if it’s just having them spend the night, we do lots of different things with them,” says Brenda.

“For example, the other day I picked up the twins from school…and we took them to Krispy Kreme,” smiles David. “We take them to Lochmere Lake,” Brenda adds. “They like to sit where the little baby ducks and swans play…and, once in a while, we’ll just say, ‘today is surprise day,’ and we’ll go to the dollar store and buy something. So they never know.”

Though they may not know exactly what to expect, the six little ones always eagerly anticipate their grandparents’ constant love. “When they see us, they run to us with open arms,” smiles Brenda.

Because of this close relationship, the Blackwoods can accomplish what they believe to be a grandparent’s most important task: imparting a spiritual legacy. Being a godly influence is the Blackwoods’ greatest desire for their relationship with their grandchildren. “We try, just like we did with our kids, to live out the faith in our lives,” says Brenda.

Raised in a strong Christian home, Brenda applies the godly lessons she learned from her parents – love, faithfulness, and daily devotion to the Lord – to her grandparenting. “Every time I have the opportunity, I talk to them,” she says. “When they say, ‘I have a little girl-friend’ or ‘I have a little boy-friend,’ I’ll always say, “Does she love Jesus?”…We’re already trying to plant those seeds now, and hoping that our grandkids will follow them when they get older.”

Although different from Brenda’s, David’s background has also influenced his grandparenting. Raised in a Methodist church where “the gospel was a bit more subtle,” David came to Christ at age twenty through the witness of Brenda and her family. Because of this experience, David’s top priority for his grandchildren is “making sure they’re Bible-believing.”

Despite their differing backgrounds, the Blackwoods agree that a Christian legacy can begin with any generation. “Even if you didn’t have Christian parents, grandparents, or heritage,” they say, “you can start it right now with your own children.”