We cover topics that matter to grandparents - and parents - such as concrete ways to help new parents, understanding new trends in child care, and meaningful ways to connect the generations. The resources and products we offer foster open communication, encourage healthy boundaries, and equip new grandparents with the tools they need to become a supportive partner to their grandchild's parents. Sign up for our newsletter to find out why grandparenting isn't about spoiling the grandkids anymore. Parents welcome!
A question about your holiday...driving?
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Hello, Reader! Happy Thanksgiving to my US readers! I’m hosting Thanksgiving tomorrow: the grandkids and their parents have been here since Saturday and my mother-in-law arrived yesterday. To make a little extra space in my brain, I’m sharing a story I shared a couple of years ago. Let me know if you remember it--I'd completely forgotten it! Yesterday, as my husband and I were driving down the highway, there was a pickup truck with a utility trailer heading the same way we were. The driver was tailgating every car he was behind—and there were many of them, because he sped up and changed lanes each time he got behind someone new and they didn’t go as fast as he wanted. When he was stuck behind a slower car right next to us, he changed lanes again—despite the fact that the space in front of us didn’t have clearance for the trailer he was towing. If we hadn’t braked, the trailer would have collided with the entire front half of my beloved Ford Flex—at 70 miles an hour. Obviously, the driver wasn’t concerned about anyone else on the road. He was completely focused on his need to get somewhere, and it didn’t matter who was in his way. Thankfully, he got off the highway at the next exit, so we didn’t have to deal with him for long. Why am I sharing this story? Because we are all like that driver sometimes—though we hopefully aren’t endangering people’s lives as much as he was! We all sometimes get hyper-focused on what we are doing, or where we are going, or what we want. We all sometimes forget there are others on the metaphorical road who we need to consider as we move towards fulfilling our goals. For grandparents, this forgetting sometimes this means not consulting with parents before buying gifts that we want to give our grandchildren. Sometimes it means being upset that our grandchild isn’t being raised in our faith. Sometimes it means assuming the family will come to our house for holidays, without thinking about the in-laws who are also hoping for that visit. Grandparenting isn’t a long drive down an empty country road. Grandparents are like that driver on the highway: surrounded by other people heading in the same direction. All those people seem to be going the same place at roughly the same speed, but they each have different destinations in mind. We have to use our turn signals and follow the rules of the road to get where we want to go without causing problems for someone else. We have to watch the cars around us to make sure there’s not a collision. As we move into this holiday season, take a moment to reflect on your grandparent driving habits. How can you make sure that other drivers aren’t happy to see you get off the highway? Warm regards, P.S. We’ll be using some of the conversation starters in this recent blog post during our Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow night. If you’ll be gathering with family or friends, which questions will you ask? P.P.S. If your plans this week include holiday shopping, don’t forget about our gift guides! Visit our Amazon Shop for More Than Grand recommendations! DeeDee Moore | Founder, More Than Grand LLC | morethangrand.com |
Calling all new grandparents! (and parents, too!)
We cover topics that matter to grandparents - and parents - such as concrete ways to help new parents, understanding new trends in child care, and meaningful ways to connect the generations. The resources and products we offer foster open communication, encourage healthy boundaries, and equip new grandparents with the tools they need to become a supportive partner to their grandchild's parents. Sign up for our newsletter to find out why grandparenting isn't about spoiling the grandkids anymore. Parents welcome!
Dear Reader, Almost all the trees in our neighborhood have shed their leaves, a sign that we are entering the darkest part of the year in our latitude. And while I find the limited daylight hours oppressive, this time of year also brings something brighter: the holidays. The last few weeks of the year are filled with opportunities for making memories. As grandparents, we often come into the holiday season with rosy pictures of family togetherness, but those moments don’t always unfold the way...
Hello, Reader! If you’ve been here awhile, you know that one of my main messages at More Than Grand is that grandparents need to cut back on giving gifts. I keep harping on the subject because it is the number one complaint that parents share with me—too much stuff, too often, and frequently something they don’t want their child to have. When I post about it on social media, parents often chime in with horror stories, like the grandma who showed up on Christmas morning with three industrial...
The persons hardest to convince they're at the retirement age are children at bedtime. ~ Shannon Fife Each Saturday, we send you a roundup of articles and resources that will help you be a better grandparent. We may receive a commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this email. This is an easy and much appreciated way for you to support More Than Grand! Growing as a Grandparent Today’s the last day to get the Candlelight & Comfort Bundle, a collection of 15+ ebooks,...