What did Barack Obama’s speech this morning have to do with Sandwiched Boomers? While discussing the complexity of his relationship to Reverend Wright, he was also referring to the macrocosm – the voter’s relationship to the American family and, on some level, our relationship to our own family.

At one time or another we’ve all been distracted by the negatives – having to care for an aging parent who didn’t take good care of us growing up or or having to deal with an adult child who has lost his job and boomeranged back home. But we always have a choice, no matter how difficult – we can focus on what is within our control, take the high road and create change.

How can you use this as a teachable moment for your own family? We all know that it’s a lot easier to condemn others than to look at ourselves. What does ‘your dreams don’t have to come at the expense of my dreams’ mean to you. And how can you take the core of that message and put it into a broader and more practical context for your family in flux?