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How to Choose Your Grandparent Name
Sometimes you pick your name. Sometimes it picks you.
It takes nine months to have a baby, and that may be a good thing because many couples need at least that long to ponder, discuss, debate, argue, agonize, and finally, agree o ... read more
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Are Grandchildren Changing Your Family's Relationships?
New arrivals bring joy to every family, but also some anxiety as grandparents try to treat everyone fairly
Maureen Harkins’s three children were always close growing up. Still, it was surprising when, as young married adults, Brendan, 32, Megan, 30, and Bradley, 28, all becam ... read more
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Obama Praises an "Unsung Hero"
The president-elect salutes his mother-in-law, Marian Robinson - the future First Grandmother
A grandmother plays a strong role as the head of a family, particularly when she lives with, or close to, her children and grandchildren.
She's a combination of matriarch, m ... read more
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Thanksgiving: Why My House AGAIN?
Many grandparents say that after years of shopping, cooking, and worrying, it's time for someone else to host
I blame Norman Rockwell.
You know that painting of an apron-wearing grandmother serving turkey to her adoring family? I think it's responsible for many people's unrealistic ... read more
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Thanksgiving: Why NOT My House?
This grandmother isn't ready to stop hosting Thanksgiving dinner, even though her kids have offered to take over
As Thanksgiving approaches, I know that my children who live nearby will offer to give me a break and host our family dinner at one of their homes. But I have no intention of ... read more
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Should Parents Put Their Marriage Before Their Kids?
A family coach suggests that parents focus on creating a good marriage instead of making their kids the center of their lives
Dear Grandparents,
I am going to describe something you may have already noticed in your children and your grandchildren: I call it the Curse of the Child-Centered Family. Yo ... read more
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Do You Need to Tighten Up or Lighten Up?
If you've been too tough (or too easy) on your grandchildren, resolve to change your approach
When Darren and Ella returned home after a night out, they found Darren’s mother, Nana Louise, sitting on the couch reading a magazine while the kids ran wild around the ... read more
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When Your Child Is a Single Parent
In this situation, it's important for grandparents to step up and offer to help
When I decided to adopt a baby on my own more than nine years ago, I knew that single parenthood would be difficult. But I also knew that I could count on the love and support ... read more
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Gifts Without Rifts
When parents dictate what you can or can't buy for your grandchildren, it doesn't have to take the fun out of your holidays
From the moment Dorothea Hover-Kramer’s oldest grandson asked her for a bike, she dreamed of Christmas morning — and the look on the boy's face when he'd find the ... read more
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Grandparent vs. Grandparent
During the holidays, it's tempting to try to prove that the kids love you best
You may feel as if you have a special bond with your grandchildren. But the grandparents on "the other side" of the family feel the same way. So when the two sides come togeth ... read more
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The Nanny Debate
Increasingly, when parents decide to hire a nanny for their children, they consider a grandparent for the job
Your grandchildren's parents need help. They both have to work full-time, even though they know that raising their children is their job, too. They can afford day care, but th ... read more
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Congratulations, You're a Step-Grandparent!
Challenges are sometimes great for step-grandparents, but the payoff is the same as for any new grandparent: a loving relationship with grandkids
Becoming a grandparent is exciting and challenging. Becoming a step-grandparent is equally exciting, but is often more challenging. Kim Fendrick, a clinical social worker in H ... read more
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Accidental Grandparents
How should you react when a teen becomes pregnant?
Timothea Alderman found out by e-mail. Under the subject line "I have to talk to you," Alderman's 18-year-old daughter, Jamie, wrote that she was expecting a baby in three mon ... read more
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When Your Grandchildren Are More Religious Than You
Celebrating holidays can be a challenge when grandchildren are more devout than their grandparents.
Laurie Dinerstein-Kurs is such a doting Jewish grandmother that her e-mail address includes bubbe, the Yiddish word for "grandmother." Dinerstein-Kurs, 60, and her husband Ste ... read more
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How Does Birth Order Affect Your Grandchildren?
Is your oldest grandchild a leader? Is the youngest a class clown? An expert says there's some truth to birth-order stereotypes.
The oldest child is bossy, the youngest child is mischievous, and the middle child is lost in the shuffle. Birth order stereotypes are not always true, of course, but they do ... read more
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Who's in Charge Here?
The author of a new book on getting along with your children shares tips for ending generational clashes over discipline
You may have dropped by your adult child's home and found your grandchildren to be "out of control." But behavior that you consider "out of control," their parents might see a ... read more
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Reconciling With Your Grandchild's Parents
When parents and their grown children become estranged, grandparents and grandchildren are torn apart
Maybe an innocent but misunderstood remark to a son or daughter-in-law triggered a spiral of anger. Maybe the fallout from a bitter divorce left a grandparent on the outside l ... read more
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Convince Your Children You're Ready to Babysit
New grandparents want nothing more than to help take care of their grandchildren. So why are so many parents reluctant to hand the kids off?
When your children were little, you were probably happy to leave them with your parents. You trusted your parents' knowledge and experience, and saw them as reliable sources o ... read more
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The Four-Generation Family
Many grandparents are torn between wanting to spend time with grandchildren and needing to care for their own parents
On December 12, 2007, James and Nancy Wilcox of Lyman, Me., welcomed their first grandchild, Connor, into the world. A month later, they welcomed James's parents into their h ... read more
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Celebrating "Mean Moms"
Is your daughter or daughter-in-law tough on your grandchildren? These grandparents say you should be proud.
Nobody wants to be thought of as mean. Or so you'd think. But there's actually a movement of mothers across the country who are embracing the word. They are "mean moms," and t ... read more
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