Precious grandchild…a gift to enjoy as we age. Grandchildren are fun, no matter what the stage. Engaging through words and games, and hugs and kisses. The time we spend is never a strain. I wish for their lives, they stay forever young, Engaging, spontaneous, and seeking life. If only I could live to see their…
Category: Grandparenting
COVID Musings on Becoming Elderly
This is the year I came to the belated understanding that I am now elderly, at least in the eyes of others. I don’t feel elderly. The media and the Center for Disease Control continually referred to my age group in a somewhat deprecating and disparaging tone, assuming we had one foot in the grave and therefore…
Women and the Impact of COVID-19 on the Workforce
The current economy results from many factors, the most significant of which is the impact of the closures in March due to COVID-19. While the economic recovery sputters along, Americans are differentially impacted, with working mothers and Black Americans falling significantly behind. Of the over one million Americans who stopped working or even looking in…
COVID-19 Vocabulary #3
Day 3 of reflecting on the new vocabulary common to the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the desirable social distancing, our almost painful new reality, and the politically sensitive face mask. Social Distancing: Once upon a time, this was a phrase implying the appropriate distancing when carrying on a conversation or standing in a public area. Social politeness required the…
Grandparents on Call
Recently we received a call to ask, very gently, if we would be able to come to the west coast for a month or so to assist with our three-year-old grandson. The explanation was very simple and straightforward. Our son would be away for a work assignment for an extended period of time, perhaps a…
Death of a Child, No Matter the Age
My son-in-law, Simon, disappeared on August 9. While he and my daughter were divorced, he was the father of our very first grandchild and he remained always in our thoughts, if not in our lives that frequently. It has been an exasperating and frightening time as we all grappled with the why of his disappearance. …
King Lear’s Message: Aging and Children
Raising children, taking care of aging parents, continuing professional education, working in high-level administration of an agency…all have given way to retirement and relocation. Living at the beach has provided beautiful sunrises and sunsets best enjoyed with strong drink. My three children are successful professionals and I have two wonderful grandchildren, one on each coast.…
Discipline and the Perplexed Grandparent
“Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them.” Proverbs 13:24 When I was dealing with grandchildren under the age of two, I was knowledgeable, competent, and successful. Feeding, burping, diaper changing… all second hand to this mother of three children. Regrettably, I am humbled and disappointed in…
Life Gets Better 