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A week or so ago, 5 Skills Every Grandparent Needs listed two of the most important qualities you need if you are blessed with grandkids.  I made the point that how we raised our own kids is not always the best model for dealing with our child's child. A different skill set is often needed.  Here is  part two  of that post, with the three additional attributes I suggest you have at your disposal. As always, I know this list isn't complete.  If you are raising a grandchild, the five skills noted in this and the earlier post need to be expanded one hundred fold. You are a parent who also must bring some of the unconditional love of a grandparent to the child's life.  Or, you may live hundreds or thousands of miles away, making each visit that much more precious.  I know from my own experiences that these five traits are vital. As always. y ou are encouraged to add something you have found to be very important in the life of a child. 1) Create Memories. ...

There are an estimated 70 million Americans who claim the title of "grandparent." For those of us lucky enough to have our lives blessed with grandkids, skills that are needed may seem rather obvious. After all, we raised at least one child to have a grandchild (basic biology). So, what skills might we have missed in the Grandparents Handbook? It is not so much that certain skills are missing, but how they are used. The way we raised our own kids is not always the best model for dealing with our child's child. I have picked five that have the ability to make this experience a joy instead of a trial.  Of course, there are probably another dozen (or more) skills that could be added to the list, but I had to draw the line somewhere! This is part one of the "skills" post. To keep things from getting too long-winded, here are the first two skills. I believe these to be the most important. In a week I'll round out the project with the final three skills.   1) Yo...

I am among retirement writers who suggest that moving right after retirement is a step that should be taken with caution.  Leaving friends and familiarity is never easy.  The adjustment after leaving work generates enough stress. Adding a move and all that implies just puts more pressure on you.  Moving after retirement is an important decision; it takes time and planning.  Over the six plus years of this blog I have shared several stories of newly retired folks who have left both a job and a long time home in short order, and regretted that move more often than not. Usually, the difficulty in establishing new friendships and missing ties at home lead the list. In short, home sickness can strike at any age. Others found the weather not as ideal as it seemed after watching the Weather Channel. Housing prices may be so different that affording a place to call home is too difficult. That being said, for some of us a move soon after retirement is the right step...

This comment was left on a blog post last month: "One subject that I would suggest has to do with Grandparents (retired) who find themselves assisting adult children and grandchildren through financial and/or emotional difficulties; sometimes long term. I have two friends who have custody of their grandchildren.   One has embraced it as a "second chance", while the other struggles with the disruption to her recent retirement. In both cases, they were the only option for the children. So, it makes me wonder just how many situations like this there are out there, and how people cope with their circumstances." What an excellent and important question. Whether you are a grandparent or not, have a similar situation or know of someone who does, or have never really thought about it before, this is a topic full of important issues. For this post, let's assume that the grandkids are not someone's responsibility because of the tragic death of the parents. I think tha...

My Darling Grandchildren, Much of what I want to tell you in this letter won't make much sense to you yet. You are still young enough that everything is made safe and right by your mom and dad, brother or sisters. You have two sets of grandparents who live nearby, see you often, and love you very much. You have an aunt who would give her life for you. An uncle and your cousins are frequent visitors. God loves you and has your future well in hand. Things that happen in your world all make sense. You have food to eat when you are hungry and a bed to sleep in when you are tired. You have favorite toys and lots of books. A swimming pool keeps you and your family cool in the summer.  Your days are free of danger and fear. You are very lucky and blessed to have this time in your life. Many other little boys and girls around the world do not have what you do. They are not bad or less deserving but have a much tougher time growing up to be happy and healthy. As you grow...