With the school year over and the camp season about to begin, this week in-between is perfect for three generational family vacations. We figured it’s a good time for us to focus on what is known as the Club Sandwich Generation.

As the offspring of Baby Boomers marry and start their own families, the responsibilities of the Sandwich Generation grow. You’re already in the middle of your family in flux – squeezed between children growing up and parents growing older. Now another layer is added, the grandchildren. The sandwich is sometimes harder to eat, but always appetizing.

It’s been said that you don’t experience perfect love until the birth of your first grandchild. Boomers often describe this event as an opportunity to slow down and savor one of life’s most precious gifts. Iris put it best: “For too many years I’ve been caught up between the dramas of my grown children and aging parents. My new grandson has been a welcome distraction – and I am enraptured by him. Believe me, this whole experience – seeing my son as a dad and getting to know my grandson – is by far the richest part of getting older.”

Having just returned from our family vacation, I have fresh, firsthand experience about being an involved grandma while still respecting the new role that your adult children are developing. So log on the rest of the week for some helpful tips about this energizing challenge.