Family

For many couples, reaching retirement feels like you finally made it. No more stress, you can make your own schedules, and you can enjoy all the things you put off. That’s the dream. The reality can often be quite different. Adjusting to retired life…

There are many happy grandmothers about. I know; I am one of them. We play with the kids, we bore our friends by talking about how wonderful they are and we generally feel very pleased with the way grandchildren have enhanced our lives…

I ask myself this question often: how did I remain good friends with not one, but two ex-husbands? First, let me say that I am eternally grateful for that. There is no magic answer, but rather an ironic one; I chose two good men. If tomorrow…

Estrangement from an adult child can be an incredibly distressing and tumultuous experience, especially for parents over 60. The deep pain and grief resulting from severed ties and the longing for reconnection can impact your emotional well-being. The uncertainty of the situation may weigh heavily on your heart, causing overwhelming waves of sadness and anxiety. […]

The definition of skip-gen travel is simple: grandparents traveling with grandkids without the parents along (i.e., skipping the “middle” generation). Why is it becoming so popular? That’s simple, too: it’s the perfect win-win-win situation!

Before Great Gram got hitched at age 20, as they used to say, she was a teacher in a one-room rural Iowa schoolhouse. After marriage, she wasn’t allowed to teach. That was written in her contract. As a teacher, she called her readin’ and writin’…

Now we are 60 (as A.A. Milne of Christopher Robin fame might have said), we are of an age to think about grandmothers. Perhaps you are a grandmother or hoping to be one. Perhaps your friends are grandmothers…

Parent-adult child estrangement is a complex and deeply challenging experience. It can be overwhelming, leaving parents with feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. This article offers guidance on navigating this painful journey, emphasizing…

You’ve probably read professional relationship advice about how to survive with your partner into retirement. That always comes with lots of practical instructions about working together and enjoying each other’s company. It all sounds a bit twee…

When I taught writing, I asked my students to describe their parents by using the five senses. Gosh, does this writing exercise elicit vibrant responses! Here are some words my community college students, who ranged in age from 18 to 60, used to describe…