Family

Summer is my favorite time of the year. When the sun is warm and my granddaughter comes to visit, everything is right in the world. Like many grandparents, I believe that I have a role to play in helping her to see the world beyond an iPhone screen. I want her to experience all of the elements – earth, wind, water and fire. Here are a few of the ways that I hope to enjoy the season. I hope that you find these ideas useful as you are planning your own summer activities. Read More

The other day, I heard a comedienne tell a story about an experience that she had flying Delta, in coach. She said that the flight attendant walked through the aisle and asked if anyone wanted to read The Wall Street Journal. She remarked: “If I was the kind of person who read that paper, I’d be up front instead of back here!” Read More

There has been a lot of talk lately about the increase in silver divorces among baby boomers. As our children leave the house and we start to look towards the coming decades, more of us are deciding to go it alone. Read More

Billy Joel sang: “Don’t go changing… I love you just the way you are.” Who are we kidding? We chose our partners in business and life because we DO want to change them and we really don’t love them just the way they are. My criteria for dating after my divorce were simple. I wanted a woman who accepted the fact I had a child and was on a career path. She also had to look great in a mini-skirt – all reasonable requirements in the litmus test of love. Hope’s were a bit less discriminating. Her questions were: What are your goals in life? What keeps you awake at night? Don’t you think disco will live forever? Ok. Neither of us was perfect…

When parents are unable to raise their children, grandparents often step in. In the U.S., there are millions of grandparents raising grandchildren. These families are often called “grandfamilies.” Of course raising your own grandchildren is not without it’s challenges, but, it can also be rewarding. Read More

The tradition of gift giving is an important part of the holidays and some people take it very seriously. Grandchildren produce long and detailed fantasy lists with items that they know are pushing every possible button. Where exactly can one buy teleportation machines these days? Unless you start planning in July, you might be waiting in long lines for those in demand gifts. Read More

Even though families are spread across the world these days, the holiday season offers an opportunity to connect even the most tenuous dots. Many families live close enough to visit each other. This is great because everyone can connect physically with great food, entertainment, walks or fun planned activities. Read More

In recent years, a lot has been written about the fact that divorce rates among people over 50 are rising, while other generations are staying married longer. For example, over the last 20 years, baby boomer divorce rates have increased 50%. Read More

The relationship between mother-in-laws and daughter-in-laws is complicated. At its best, it can be like finding a long-lost daughter. At worst, it can be a center of tension for the entire family.

When you think about it, having a daughter-in-law is a beautiful thing. After all, this is the person that your son has chosen from the billions of women in the world. She is also the mother of your precious grandchildren. And, while this may be hard for many mothers to accept, she is now the center of your son’s life.

So, with so much riding on the mother-in-law to daughter-in-law relationship, why is it so hard to get right? Why do so many of us feel a sense of tension, or even outright hostility, from the most important woman in our son’s life? Read More

Grandkids are a treasure for many women over 60 – but just as is the case with so many other aspects of our world and our new stage of life, many things are much different than previous generations might have expected. Read More