Grandmothering

From the #1 New York Times–bestselling author, a guide to giving your grandchildren what they need—love, strong values, resilience . . . and, of course, cookies. Grandmothers make the best cookies and give the best hugs, but there's so much more to being the kind of grandmother who leaves a legacy that stands the test of time. In this book, bestselling author and grandmother Linda Eyre shares her secret formula for teaching your grandchildren values, building meaningful connections with them, and giving them grit and resilience in an ever-changing world. Broken into short, digestible chapters for quick reading, this guidebook is filled with time-tested advice and stories from a panel of grandmothers—plus an appendix of easy, delicious recipes to feed a crowd at your next family reunion.

The New York Times Bestseller From one of the country’s most recognizable journalists, Lesley Stahl of CBS's 60 Minutes: How becoming a grandmother transforms a woman’s life. After four decades as a reporter, Lesley Stahl’s most vivid and transformative experience of her life was not covering the White House, interviewing heads of state, or researching stories at 60 Minutes. It was becoming a grandmother. She was hit with a jolt of joy so intense and unexpected, she wanted to “investigate” it—as though it were a news flash. And so, using her 60 Minutes skills, she explored how grandmothering changes a woman’s life, interviewing friends like Whoopi Goldberg, colleagues like Diane Sawyer (and grandfathers, including Tom Brokaw), as well as the proverbial woman next door. Along with these personal accounts, Stahl speaks with scientists and doctors about physiological changes that occur in women when they have grandchildren; anthropologists about why there are grandmothers, in evolutionary terms; and psychiatrists about the therapeutic effects of grandchildren on both grandmothers and grandfathers. Throughout Becoming Grandma, Stahl shares stories about her own life with granddaughters Jordan and Chloe, about how her relationship with her daughter, Taylor, has changed, and about how being a grandfather has affected her husband, Aaron. In an era when baby boomers are becoming grandparents in droves and when young parents need all the help they can get raising their children, Stahl’s book is a timely and affecting read that redefines a cherished relationship.

Today, more and more grandmothers around the world are taking on varied responsibilities and many roles, sometimes concurrently. Consequently, grandmothers continue to play, as in the past, an influential role not only in the lives of their grandchildren, but also in our communities and in society more broadly. Grandmothers and Grandmothering: Creative and Critical Contemplations in Honour of our Women Elders, as the title suggests, seeks to pay homage to our grandmothers and their contributions to society. As well, it aims to explore the textured and complex phenomena of grandmothering from a range of disciplines and cultural perspectives. Our hope is that this collection challenges preconceived notions of what it means to be a grandmother and provides insight into the multifaceted nature of grandmothering.

Young working mothers are not the only ones who are struggling to balance family life and careers. Many middle-aged American women face this dilemma as they provide routine childcare for their grandchildren while pursuing careers and trying to make ends meet. Employment among middle-aged women is at an all-time high, and grandmothers, are rearranging hours to take care of their grandchildren, experiencing additional loss of salary and reduced old age pension accumulation. This book explores the strategies of, and impacts on, working grandmothers.

According to the author, "Grandmother skills" are disappearing because in our highly mobile society, women may now remain in the workforce or live far from their grandchildren. Elgin (The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense), herself a grandmother to 10, attempts to fill this gap by providing grandmothers of all types and ages with this chatty and good-natured guide to successful grandmothering. Included among Elgin's 21 sensible principles are advice for mediating family disputes, tips for helping grandchildren with money problems while maintaining one's own financial solvency, as well as the importance of passing down family myths and stories to the next generation. Elgin also discusses family crises or illnesses when it may become necessary for a grandmother to take over the running of the household of one of her children (whom she coyly refers to as a "chadult"). Elgin firmly believes that once the emergency is over, a grandmother must return the household to the parents as soon as possible and gracefully return home. Elgin includes lots of nitty gritty advice but most of her book is aimed at reminding readers how to give families the advantage of their experience without giving in to the frailties of age. “ 35 b/w illustrations

Contemporary grandmothers are often marginalized from extended family life because social institutions and grandmothers themselves do not understand that they could be vital for working parents, for overactive children, for suicidal youth, indeed for many of the problems of modern grandchildren. The genetics and hormones of older women have designed them to be vital family members, with patience and perspective that come with age and experience. In addition, biology helps directly via menopause. The grandmother hypothesis explains that human women, unlike almost any other living creature, experience decades of life after menopause, in order to make grandmothers available to their descendants. Here, Kathleen Berger explores he role of grandmothers in the lives of their grandchildren. She uses real life examples to illustrate how grandmothers can best integrate themselves into the lives of their children’s families without overstepping. She explores the particular needs of each stage of childhood as they relate to grandmother involvement and input. Before a child is born, grandmothers need to attend to building a strong relationship with the future parents. In infancy, attachment and feeding are crucial. In early childhood, grandmothers need to follow the parent’s lead, remembering that a parental alliance is essential. In childhood, children need to be safe but not isolated, and both bullies and victims benefit from a grandmother’s support and assistance. In adolescence and emerging adulthood, grandmothers need to build direct connections and not avoid the difficult topics of sex, drugs, death, disease, and money. Throughout, elders need to learn technology, insuring that it fosters, not impedes relationships. Problems in relationships are explained honestly and with insight. Among these are issues when three generations share a home, when parents get divorced, and when grandchildren rebel against parental authority. Throughout the work, both the joy and the complications of effective grandmothering are described. Whether you’re a biological grandmother, a trusted step-grandmother, or just a warm and trusted older woman with young ones in your life, you can be a vital force in the lives of future generations.

In Grandmothering While Black, sociologist LaShawnDa L. Pittman explores the complex lives of Black grandmothers raising their grandchildren in skipped-generation households (consisting only of grandparents and grandchildren). She prioritizes the voices of Black grandmothers through in-depth interviews and ethnographic research at various sites--doctor's visits, welfare offices, school and day care center appointments, caseworker meetings, and more. Through careful examination, she explores the various forces that compel, constrain, and support Black grandmothers' caregiving. Pittman showcases a fundamental change in the relationship between grandmother and grandchild as grandmothers confront the paradox of fulfilling the social and legal functions of motherhood without the legal rights of the role. Grandmothering While Black illuminates the strategies used by grandmothers to manage their legal marginalization vis-à-vis parents and the state across a range of caregiving arrangements. In doing so, it reveals the overwhelming and painful decisions Black grandmothers must make to ensure the safety and well-being of the next generation.

Explores ways in which grandmothers can find satisfaction in their new roles, have better understanding of family tensions, communicate more effectively with their daughters and daughters-in-law, and provide emotional support.

Being a grandfather is one of the most celebrated responsibilities a person can have. But what kind of grandfather will you be and what level of commitment will you provide for your grandchildren? New York Times #1 bestselling author, Richard Eyre provide you with proactive approach to becoming the best grandparent you can be. One of More Than Grand's Best Books for Grandparents.

At last, a practical, Christian guide for grandmothers--and for younger women preparing for that stage of life! Since our culture is in love with immaturity, advice written for "older" women can tend to focus on changes: empty nests, new priorities, grown children getting married, etc. But the Bible tells us to focus on the things that don't change: In all seasons of life, God has good works prepared in advance for us to walk in. And whether you're a young woman, married, unmarried, widowed, middle-aged, or a great-grandma, you never quit exercising that faith in Christ. Grandkids and getting older, dinners and hospitality, mentorship and being an "in-law" all come with their own stretches of bumpy road, but faith and joy (and a little of Nancy Wilson's practical advice) go a long way. Women travelling through this season should be thinking in terms of family legacy--and in terms of eternity--as they seek godly wisdom, great joy, and a silver-haired crown of glory.