Successful stories are driven by authentic and interesting characters, so it’s important to craft them carefully. But characters don’t usually exist in a vacuum; throughout the course of your story, they’ll live, work, play, and fight with other cast members. Some of those relationships are positive and supportive, pushing the protagonist to positive growth and helping them achieve their goals. Other relationships do exactly the opposite—derailing your character’s confidence and self-worth—or they cause friction and conflict that leads to fallout and disruption. Many relationships hover somewhere in the middle. A balanced story will require a mix of these dynamics.
The purpose of this thesaurus is to encourage you to explore the kinds of relationships that might be good for your story and figure out what each might look like. Think about what a character needs (good and bad), and build a network of connections for him or her that will challenge them, showcase their innermost qualities, and bind readers to their relationship trials and triumphs.
Grandparent and Grandchild
Description:
The grandparent/grandchild relationship is as varied as any familial relationship, running the gamut from intimate to distantly polite to toxic. Many factors will play into this relationship, such as physical distance between the parties, differing ideologies, and the parent’s influence, so it’s important to explore it from every angle to determine what will work best for your characters and story.
Relationship Dynamics
Below are a wide range of dynamics that may accompany this relationship. Use the ideas that suit your story and work best for your characters to bring about and/or resolve the necessary conflict.
Unconditional loved based on family ties
A grandparent who gives the grandchild the freedom to establish their own beliefs and values
A grandparent who backs up the efforts and parenting philosophies of the grandchild’s parents
A grandparent being a listening ear and part of the grandchild’s support system
A grandchild helping and supporting an elderly grandparent on a practical level
A grandparent learning new ideas and skills from their grandchild
A grandchild seeing their grandparent as a source of wisdom and guidance
A grandparent and grandchild who do not know one another well, if at all
Challenges That Could Threaten The Status Quo
The grandparent being physically or financially unable to visit their grandchild
The grandchild’s family moving far away
The grandparent falling ill or being diagnosed with a serious medical condition
A new grandchild entering the scene
The grandparent needing to move into an assisted living facility
The grandparent refusing a request for help from the grandchild
The child’s parent being imprisoned, abandoning them, or dying
The grandchild being forced to spend time with the grandparent
Conflicting Desires that Can Impair the Relationship
One party wanting a different level of communication and interaction than the other
The grandparent wanting custody of the grandchild
The grandchild wanting to live with the grandparent instead of their parents
Clashing Personality Trait Combinations
Independent and Controlling, Nurturing and Withdrawn, Ambitious and Lazy, Responsible and Scatterbrained, Responsible and Irresponsible, Playful and Humorless, Needy and Independent, Generous and Selfish
Negative Outcomes of Friction
Strained social interactions
Other family members being caught in the middle
Losing a sense of independence and voice
Fictional Scenarios That Could Turn These Characters into Allies
The grandparent guiding the child through a challenge (school, friendships, romantic relationships, etc.)
The grandchild being adopted by the grandparent
The grandparent needing the grandchild to help them with a project
Ways This Relationship May Lead to Positive Change
A grandparent who was not the best parent having a second chance at their role
The two learning and growing from each other’s perspectives and experiences
Finding satisfaction and purpose through investing time in the relationship
Themes and Symbols That Can Be Explored through This Relationship
Coming of age, Death, Endings, Family, Friendship, Health, Hope, Illness, Inflexibility, Innocence, Journeys, Loss, Love
Other Relationship Thesaurus entries can be found here.
Need More Descriptive Help?
While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (15 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.
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Becca Puglisi is an international speaker, writing coach, and bestselling author of The Emotion Thesaurus and its sequels. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors, and psychologists around the world. She is passionate about learning and sharing her knowledge with others through her Writers Helping Writers blog and via One Stop For Writers—a powerhouse online library created to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Vivienne says
Thanks for this post. I’ve not written any grandparent/grandchild scenarios yet, but when I do, this will be most helpful. Bookmarking it.