grandparents

Grandfamilies Roundup: Studies, Housing and Resources

Posted on 09/14/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Caregiving | Home & Family | Relationships | Your LifeGrandparents Week brings to mind those grandparents who are playing a special role – those who are living in multigenerational households and/or raising grandchildren by themselves. These grandparents go the extra mile to be there for their grandkids. Here’s a roundup of new research, resources and supports for grandfamilies. After more than a decade of planning, the newest housing designed specifically for grandfamilies, Grandfamilies Place of Phoenix, opened the first week of August. According to Delmonte Edwards, executive director of Tanner …

Absentee Grandparents: Is It Ever Okay?

Posted on 09/13/2012 by Mary C. Hickey | General News | Comments

Home & Family | RelationshipsIn a situation when a parent decides not to be involved in a child’s life, what role (and what responsibility) do grandparents have? A post by one of my favorite bloggers got me thinking about that question. Christine Coppa has been sharing her life on the internet since shortly before her son was born about five years ago. Her first blog, on glamour.com, was called “Knocked Up,” a title that appropriately captured her personal story: Chrissi was 26 and had …

Grandparents: How to See the Grandkids All You Want

Posted on 09/12/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Home & Family | Relationships | Your LifeWhen I was growing up, nearly every vacation was spent traveling from Ohio to Indiana to see our grandparents. We also talked on the phone every Sunday. Sometimes cards and letters were exchanged too, but that was the entire menu for staying in touch. Thanks to technology, today’s grandparents have many additional ways to connect – so why aren’t more of them taking advantage of it?! Recent grandparent studies indicate some are using the newer forms of technology to communicate …

6 TV Grandparents We Still Love

Posted on 09/11/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Entertainment | Home & Family | RelationshipsThis Grandparents Week, I’ve been thinking about classic TV grandparents. Although there are many, here are 6 shows I loved to watch in prime-time or in syndication as reruns when I was a kid – and still do! As these stir up your memories, please share your favorites in the comments section below. The Real McCoys (1957) – A classic grandfather in many ways, the overall-wearing patriarch, grandpa Amos McCoy (Walter Brennan), was at times kind, meddling, funny and argumentative, …

Help Your Grandchildren in College Without Breaking the Bank

Posted on 09/10/2012 by Jeff Yeager | The Ultimate Cheapskate | Comments

Home & Family | Money & SavingsWhat do you do to help your grandchildren who are in college? A big quandary for many grandparents this time of year is how to show their love and support for grandchildren who are in college. Sure, you want to help, but you want to do it in ways that are both appreciated and effective. And, you can’t afford to give them a blank check. See also: 99 Great Ways to Save Over the years I’ve chatted with a lot …

Study: Grandparents Give ’til it Hurts

Posted on 09/8/2012 by Amy Goyer | Aging, Home & Family Expert | Comments

Home & Family | Money & Savings | Relationships | Your LifeAs a consultant and expert in aging and family issues with more than 30 years experience working with grandparents, I recently had the great pleasure of writing a report for the MetLife Mature Market Institute in conjunction with Generations United. The report, “Grandparents Investing in Grandchildren: The MetLife Study on How Grandparents Share Their Time, Values, and Money,” indicates that today’s grandparents continue to provide care for grandchildren, offer advice and moral support, and provide financial assistance – sometimes to …