Tag Archives: grandkids

Grandparents Week

National Grandparents Day has been celebrated in the United States every year since 1978 on the first Sunday after Labor Day. It gives both grandchildren and grandparents an opportunity to reflect on the importance of each other. The statute establishing the holiday includes these words about the purpose of Grandparents Day: “…to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children’s children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer.” Grandparents of babies revel in the thrill of new life … Continue reading

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Grandparents’ Day and the Grandmother Effect

Last Sunday, for the 35th time since it was instituted, Grandparents’ Day was observed in the United States, honoring 65 million grandparents. In addition to loving their grandkids, grandparents are often responsible for providing childcare and support. A recent survey found that a grandparent regularly cares for nearly one-third of the children under age 5 who have working mothers. And 3 million grandparents are primarily in charge of raising their grandchildren. For me, love is the main commodity I provide to my grandkids and I get it back in multiples. … Continue reading

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Childhood Friends

I’m in Canada for the week, enjoying time with old friends–all born in ’44. We’ll tour the city that shaped us, share photos of our kids and grandchildren, laugh a lot, I’m sure. I look forward to the stories, to reminiscing and savoring the memories of growing up together. In my next post I’ll write about 10 women, friends since primary school, more than 60 years later. We all face transitions at each stage of life. When Rosemary and I began publishing online 14 years ago, we named our newsletter ‘Stepping … Continue reading

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Grandparents and Adult Grandkids Bonding Can Lower Depression for Both

  The number of grandparents raising grandkids surged during the Great Recession. In 2011, according to a Pew Research Center report, grandparents were the main caregivers for more than 3 million children. There are still many reasons why this is necessary today – military service, untimely death, incarceration, substance abuse, mental illness or problems with layoffs and foreclosures. The second Sunday in September is always Grandparents’ Day. But every day is a good time to celebrate caring across the generations. For many of us growing up, our grandparents were the … Continue reading

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