Grandchildren

People often have set ideas about what a grandmother should be like. However, grandmothers come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – as well as in attitudes to that role. This became very clear to me when I wrote a book based on interviews conducted with 27 very different grandmothers. Read More

The 27-hour flight back to Bali from the U.S. socked it to me this time. So, while I was un-jetlagging and housebound, I rummaged through reading material, organized drawers and, in the process, stumbled upon Grandmother Remembers. Read More

A couple of years ago I started minding my one-year-old granddaughter for two days a week when my daughter returned to work after her maternity leave ended. If you didn’t know, you can catch up with one of the weekly blog posts I wrote here. Read More

Recently, Judy, my wife of 44 years, and I experienced a difficult family situation probably best captured by a rephrasing of the oft-repeated lines from the popular song by the British band The Clash – Should we stay or should we go? Read More

Millennials are at the center of every discussion about values and lifestyle these days, and not much of the conversation is positive! It’s not that they are rebels, or scruffy, or rude to their elders – rather it’s because they are too nice. Read More

By the time you reach your 60s, you’ve almost certainly made your share of financial mistakes. Even if you are one of the lucky few who managed to save consistently for retirement, you probably look back on your life and wish that someone had taught you more about money as a kid. I know I do! Read More

Did you feel the weight of your family’s expectations when you were growing up? Well, imagine what Sislena Caparrosa, Pavarotti’s Granddaughter, must have been thinking when she stepped onto the stage to sing Nessun Dorma on a televised talent show. Read More

A few years ago, I was walking in the park with my granddaughter, when she spotted an ice-cream shop, just a short distance away. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth worked itself into a cheeky smile as she prepared to convince me why we should pay the shop a visit. Read More

Will I go or will I stay? I found out last November that my first grandchild was on the way. As I shared the news with close friends, they were quick to ask, “Will you move back?” Family members in the U.S. wanted to know the same thing…

Growing up we lived several miles from the nearest town. I wandered the woods and rocky cliffs along the Mississippi River. At six or seven years old, Mother sent me with an empty honey pail to pick wild strawberries in the meadow or blueberries in the marsh. I never thought to be afraid. Read More