Grandparents join children for Dampier Playgroup morning tea

Grandparents play an important role in shaping the lives of children in a relationship which is often full of love and care. To acknowledge their role as teachers, supporters and carers, the Dampier Playgroup held a bring a senior to playgroup morning tea on Tuesday for grandparents and surrogate grandparents to bond with the little ones. Dampier Playgroup president Jessica Milliner said the morning was a chance for families and the wider community to connect. “Especially up here, a lot of people don’t have their grandparents around so they might not have that older role model in their life so it’s nice for the children to have the seniors come along,” she said. “It’s also a chance for the seniors to be young again as well and relive those childhood memories.” Community member Evey Weller said she had taken on the role as a surrogate grandmother to some of the children in Dampier. “I get to babysit them which is fantastic and I might just go around and read a story to them,” she said. “The demographics are changing in Dampier and we’ve got more younger parents coming through with the younger children so as seniors, we’re very happy.”