Welcome to Grandparents.com
by Betty Woodward, Grandparent-in-Residence
“..a child is born only once, while a grandparent is reborn with each new grandchild.”
That line is from the book Grandparents; Grandchildren; the Vital Connection, co-written by my husband Ken and Arthur Kornhaber, MD, in the early 1980s. At the time, when we were wrestling with raising three teenagers, the reality of becoming grandparents was certainly not on our immediate radar screen. Yet the fact that two fathers in their mid-forties could write so persuasively about the relationship between those two generations was more than an exercise in creative writing. It was a testimony to the depth and power of this “vital connection.”
And now, years later, we live it—and love it. As of today, we are blessed with seven grandkids, ages one through seven (well, one pushing eight). However, we are statistically part of the 45 % of grandparents that live 200 miles or more from their grandchildren, so we have had to become adapt at finding ways to keep close despite the distance. And while we think we are pretty inventive, we are always searching for new and imaginative ways to enhance that grandparent-grandchild bond.
Which is the reason I became involved in Grandparents.com.
As you will see as you browse Grandparents.com, this is not “just another website.” The array of ideas, activities, travel suggestions and down-to-earth advice from experts in the know seems almost inexhaustible. Another plus: visitors will also be able share their knowledge and learn from other grandparents in the Forum section and comment features throughout the site.
Here’s an example of how I am using Grandparents.com. With three granddaughters living in Atlanta, we make at least six trips a year to that Southern city. After seven years, I figured we had covered the waterfront in terms of interesting things to do.
Until I investigated Atlanta under the “101 Things To Do” on the opening page of Grandparents.com. With another visit coming up in the next few days, we are now in the envious position of trying to decide which of the many options we’ve uncovered to treat Kaylin, Audrey and Meg to this coming weekend. Should we try to navigate our way through the corn maze, join the hayride and then roast marshmallows over a bonfire at Cagle’s Dairy Farm or visit the Center for Puppetry Arts and, after the performance, let the girls try their hand at making their own puppets. Or we could introduce them to Disco at a Sunday afternoon dance party at Baby Loves Disco. Real DJs spin the tunes and aging Boomers can let loose, urging their young partners to “shake their bootie,” and then, perhaps sooner than we originally planned, retire to the chill-out room and snuggle together with a book or puzzle. But my husband was pushing for something more educational and off the beaten path. And he found it. We can take a guided walking tour of the Historic Oakland Cemetery where over 7000 civil war soldiers are laid to rest amongst historical markers, landscaped gardens and a wildlife habitat. That may be a “keeper” for a late October Halloween visit.
But no matter what we choose, the best part of this upcoming visit is knowing that the kids will be delighted with any one of those places—as long as we are together, holding hands, laughing, exchanging confidences. And telling them once again stories from their daddy’s mysterious past, when he was their age.
And, thanks to another great suggestion on Grandparents.com, when we return home we are going to start podcasting some of those stories that are now part of the Woodward lore. We’ve noticed over the years that if we deviate even slightly from the first version they heard, the girls catch it and correct us. The podcast will ensure they have the original story on tap whenever they want.
I’m hoping that other grandparents who, like us, don’t live down the street or across town will add their ideas on the Forum section of the website on how to maintain a strong presence in their grandchildren’s lives. Especially as they grow older. But I am also interested in sharing thoughts on some tough issues that any grandparent might face—such as step-grandparenting, conflicts that arise when our children divorce or the special needs of autistic grandchildren. And how can we –or should we--initiate discussion on topics that will effect the kind of world they will inherit, such as global warming or the economic divide in our country. How do we pass on the wisdom that should come with age, the values that have shaped us, to our children’s children?
Grandparenting today is a very different experience than it was a generation or so ago. Twenty-first Century grandparents have both the desire and the ability to be actively involved in their grandchildren’s lives as they go from toddler to teen. Grandparents.com will be a grand guide on that journey.
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