It seems like I am reading a lot lately about teens and sexting. As a parent or a grandparent, I cannot imagine dealing with this. I wouldn’t even know where to begin. I am interested in what you have to say about it. You’re right that sexting became a much-publicized topic, especially after a sexting […]
Category: Grandparents
Welcome grandparents and parents! We know how important grandparent relationships are, so here you’ll find articles, videos and events on activities grandparents can do with their grandchildren, ways to positively foster these relationships, better communication and appreciation between parents and grandparents (and vice versa!) and more!
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: The Gift of a Gap Year
Dear readers, This is an unabridged column I wrote for GRAND Magazine. An administrator at an elite college with 17 years experience has observed a decline in what she calls college readiness: “Our students are academically talented, but over the years I have found them to be less and less emotionally and behaviorally prepared for […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: Aunt Feels Pulled Into A Family Problem
I am a single aunt with no kids, but I have been party to conflict and tension between my brother and my mother. My mother helps my brother and his family quite often with babysitting, overnights, transportation, and caring for his kids when my brother and his wife are out of town. My mother attends […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: Preserving Family History and Memories
At 93 years old, Aunt Dora was the last of her seven siblings. Spry and mentally alert, she acted as “Communications Central” for her grown seven nieces and nephews, with each calling on a different day a week to check in with her. As each person called Dora on his/her assigned day, she proved to […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: The Gogos of Swaziland
Dear readers, As we in the United States celebrate National Grandparents Day on Sunday, September 13, I thought this would be an appropriate time for my friend, Hannah Laufer-Rottman, to talk about the important role the grandmothers, known as the Gogos, are playing in Swaziland, a country in Africa. (Gogo is an honorific title that is […]
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: Aunt Has Issues with Her Niece
I live in a multi-generational home with my mother, her husband, and my sister and her two daughters, ages two and nine. The problem I need help with is in regards to my nine-year-old niece, Emmy. Some background: My sister is 38 and I am 36. She is a good provider and we do get […]
Connections Available: Using Technology To Strengthen Family Ties
Raising families in today’s technology-driven society can be daunting. We hear tales of cyberbullying, sexting, identity theft, and child predators that can leave us questioning if our devices deserve a place in our family life. While the threats posed are real, we can’t rule out the many positives technology brings to the table. With intentional […]
Grandmother Angry about Gaining Two More Grandchildren
My son, who has custody of his two children (a girl and a boy), is going to marry a woman with two girls of her own. The four children are all between the ages of 9 and 12. My husband and I have been told that we must treat these two girls the same as […]