Although it’s hard to believe in the midst of changing diapers, our babies grow up and become adults. And if they have babies, we enter a new, exciting and sometimes surprising world of grandparenting. I am now part of this world as “Nanalee” to three grandchildren between the ages of 2 and 10.
It’s also hard to believe that 38+ years ago, I helped start Birth To Three, now Parenting Now!, when I was new in town, a first-time mom and feeling isolated with so many parenting questions and no one to turn to. In the spirit of those early beginnings, and as grandparents, former staff member and psychologist Kris Hallenburg and I have developed a series of workshops called The Joy of Grandparenting. The next Joy of Grandparenting workshop is Creating Your Grandparenting Legacy, to be held October 22, 2016.
Our goal with the Joy of Grandparenting workshops is to enrich the experiences of grandparenting by bringing small groups of grandparents together to share what we all have learned and to take the time to think intentionally about:
- Our grandparenting legacy
- The latest research on child development
- The changing relationships with our children who are now parents
- Building strong relationships with our grandchildren.
The Creating Your Grandparenting Legacy workshop will provide an opportunity to think about what traditions, history, values and experiences you want to share with your grandchildren. Through discussion and fun activities, the workshop will help make your role as a grandparent even more meaningful and joyful than it is already.
As one grandparent said about this workshop: “I really appreciate having the time to think about something that’s very important but not necessarily on my mind…loved sharing experiences.”
Creating Your Grandparenting Legacy Saturday, October 22, 2016, 9 a.m. – noon at Parenting Now! For more information and registration: