As we finish up our posts on Sandwiched Boomers caring for their grandchildren, here are some final tips:

Do whatever is necessary to maintain familiarity and continuity in the lives of your grandchildren. By nurturing them and stabilizing their environment, they’ll begin to feel more secure. The structure in their lives and the support you give them will relieve their feelings of anxiety and stress. Children are resilient – as you model positive thinking and hope, they will thrive.

Whether their troubling behavior stems from a hunger inside that needs to be satisfied, a serious emotional problem or habitual drug use, encourage your children to examine their own lives. By keeping the home fires burning, you afford them the opportunity to focus on greater personal awareness and their own emotional growth.

Many of our young people seek their self worth through the approval of others and habitual substance abuse is a major problem in our society. Community resources are positioned to help out when our adult children – struggling with shared child custody issues – need conciliation court, random drug tests, or rehabilitation. Through all these difficulties, our grandchildren need representation and someone to speak on their behalf. They deserve role models with strong ethical standards, integrity and character. Our children need our support as they get healthy enough to come home and raise our grandchildren.

Log in tomorrow morning for a lively Virtual Book Tour with Marika and Howard Stone, authors of “Too Young to Retire: 101 Ways to Start the Rest of your Life.” Come prepared to ask questions and share your thoughts.