grandparenting Grandparenting 101: the new frontier BY RICHARD AND LINDA EYRE T oday, Grandparenting is where Parenting was two generations ago. Back then, “parenting” was hardly a word—and books or programs or ideas on the sub- ject were hard to find. Since then, happily, parenting has become an art and a pursuit. We believe that the same thing will now happen with Grandparenting. Today, while parenting books, programs, websites, podcasts, and seminars are ubiquitous, very little is offered for grandparents, which is a bit ironic since grand- parenting is more fun, and since most of us will be grandparents for 30 or 40
A Supportive Grandparent: “ My kids need all the help they can get with their kids and I want to be there for them.” A Proactive Grandparent: “ My children are the stewards for their children, but I can teach these grandkids things their parents can’t and be an essential part of an organized three-generation family. By developing a strategy and a plan, I can make a real difference in my grandkids’ lives, even as I add joy to my own life and keep myself young.”
years—twice as long as we were active parents with kids living at home. And in today’s society, Grandparents may be our greatest resource. Raising responsible kids has never been more complex and challenging, and with parents becoming busier and more occupied professionally than ever before, the factor that may often spell the difference for kids will be how involved and proactive their grandparents are in their lives. Polls show that most grandparents consider their grandkids to be “the best part of life,” yet there are few resources or “how-to” guides around. So…just as Christine and her team decided that there needed to be a magazine for GRANDparents, we have decided that Grandparents need the kind of books, podcasts, and interac- tive seminars that provide ideas on what really works with adult children and with grandkids. In fact, what we really need, and what our society needs, is a movement of more committed, more prepared, and more involved and proactive grandparents. And what better place tIo start such a movement than with the readers of GRAND magazine? We are inviting you to join that movement! But for starters, we each need to ask ourselves the key question of “What kind of a grandparent do I want to be?” There are four potential answers: A Disengaged Grandparent: “I raised my kids and now it’s their turn to raise their kids; I’m done.” A Limited Grandparent: “ I love to see them but in limited doses and on my terms.”
25 GRANDP arenting
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