Intergenerational Relationships : Stories from Selected Countries in the Pan Pacific Region

This chapter introduces a cultural dimension of family life showing the contrast between modern, Western, nuclear families and the multi-generational family patterns that exist in many countries in Asia. In Singapore and Hong Kong, for example, grandparents often care for young children whilst parents work to raise funds for family existence and to buy a home at the same time as building a career. This cultural context gives children opportunities to interact over extended periods of time with grandparents in a natural and authentic way. The mother-tongue language of the family will be learned by children and extended through meaningful language dialogues. The presence of technology and emerging community resources in the selected Asia-Pacific areas of the present chapter (i.e., Australia, Singapore, and Hong Kong) also provide grandparents with wider opportunities to strengthen family bonds and increase chances that some cultural traditions can be carried over into the next generation. In return, children enjoy a close and respectful relationship with grandparents, while grandparents’ physical, psychological, and social well- being are fostered through this reciprocal relationship. Unique stories shared by grandparents and the contemporary trend show that in a rapidly changing world, intergenerational bonds with children may preserve precious cultural traditions in significant ways.

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