You often see grandparents caring for their grandkids on the weekends or even during the week while Mom and Dad are at work.
It’s good for kids to know their grandparents, and there is evidence that grandparents who babysit or spend a lot of time with their grandkids are less likely to suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s.
A study published in a journal by the North American Menopause Society says:
“Grandparents who babysat one day per week scored higher on a range of cognitive tests.”
This grandpa must have read that study because he clearly has spent a lot of time with his grandkids.
In this video, what started out as a simple walk in the park with his grandkids turned into a family dance party. The family was just walking and enjoying the music that was playing nearby, when all of a sudden, they broke out in a dance.
It’s pretty clear they have practiced this before, and it’s almost like they were looking for a time and place to show off their dance moves. It looks like the park was the place. They probably didn’t even think anyone was watching, but someone was recording nearby.
Dancing is probably helping to keep Grandpa young, and it can even help make him healthier.
There are many studies that suggest that dancing offers a lot of benefits other than just being fun.
According to the European Journal of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine:
“Dancing may help people with Parkinson’s disease, which is characterized by rigid muscles, slowed movement, and impaired balance. Dancing may also be good for your mood. It has been shown to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress and boost self-esteem, body image, coping ability, and overall sense of well-being, with the benefits lasting over time. In one study, it even helped control ‘emotional eating’ in obese women who eat as a response to stress.”
Of course, Grandpa is probably doing it for a way to bond with his granddaughters.
It’s clear they are having a lot of fun together. They must have taken a lot of time to come up with the routine, teach it to Grandpa, and then perfect it. They look so good that they could be in a commercial.
Maybe the reason Grandpa is so happy is that he is enjoying all these benefits. A lot of elderly people aren’t very active. They either physically can’t move around like they once could, or they don’t have anyone to be active with.
Dancing is a great way for the elderly to stay in shape, and it can help fight mental problems, too.
Another study published in Arts in Psychotherapy concluded:
“Dancing should be encouraged as part of treatment for people with depression and anxiety. Though other forms of exercise can have many of the same benefits, dancing is more appealing to some people, so they are more likely to stick with it.”
If Grandpa continues to dance with his girls like this, he will likely have a healthy life ahead of him.
That’s good, because there are a lot more dances to learn and a lot more performances to share with the people who want to watch.
We can only hope that the next time this grandpa and his granddaughters decide to get down and do some fancy shuffling like this, there is another person nearby with a camera, ready to videotape them. These little girls are lucky to have a grandpa who spends so much time with them and who is so much fun. They will grow up to have these amazing memories to share with their own kids someday and, just maybe, a few of Grandpa’s dance moves, too.
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