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Parenting Alone, Again

I try not to be judgmental. As a single mother I get my share of judgment from other people so I try to refrain. However when I hear of grandparents raising their grandchildren I have to say the judgmental part of me rears its ugly head and I judge. After all, what kind of mother doesn’t raise her child? My sister is a single grandparent right now. Before this she was a single mother. She raised her daughter alone because her daughter’s father had a drug problem. Now she is raising her grandson alone, because her daughter is struggling with … Continue reading →

Grandparents as Single Parents

Anyone will tell you that raising children alone is hard. Raising children is hard no matter how many parents live in the home. These kids did not come with an instruction manual so we are all just winging it and hoping for the best. Every day is a new challenge and sometimes I don’t feel up to it but you just have to keep moving forward. I don’t know about you, but at my age I can’t imagine starting over with little ones, especially by myself, but it happens every day. More and more grandparents are raising their grandchildren due … Continue reading →

The Importance of Grandparents

I recently read an article describing a study conducted by BYU about the importance of grandparent involvement in the lives of children. The researchers interviewed 400 children between the ages of 10 and 14 years old. After one year they found that those who had direct involvement from grandparents were kinder to others outside of their immediate family and friends; and in some cases smarter. Is it actually possible that our children are kinder as a result of having their grandparents involved? According to this study there seems to be a strong correlation. Looking back, this doesn’t really surprise me. … Continue reading →

Playing the Grandparents Name Game

The Prince of Darkness is going to be a Pop-pop… or maybe a PeePaw or G-pa, or maybe just a good old fashion bat-biting Beebaw. Like it or not, Ozzy Osbourne is going to be a grandpa. The rocker’s 25-year-old son, Jack, just announced that his fiancee of two weeks, Lisa Stelly, is carrying Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne’s first grandchild. The cuss-happy clan is about to get a bit bigger, but not everyone in the former reality TV family is looking forward to Stelly’s April due date. Last week on her day gig as a panelist on “The Talk,” grandma-to-be … Continue reading →

Maintaining A Relationship With Your Childs Grandparents

During a divorce getting through the day is a challenge sometimes. Trying to remember all the things you need to do while being solely responsible for your child can feel overwhelming. We talk to our friends about how we are feeling, we rant and cry and yell once in a while. We try to make sure our children are happy, feel secure, answer their questions all while trying to keep their lives and routines as normal as possible. We have so many new responsibilities and roles. We try very hard to be nice to an ex spouse who hasn’t always … Continue reading →

Are the Grandparents Supportive?

We had a family gathering today, and were blessed to have two grandmas and one grandpa in attendance. One grandma asked my son, “How’s school? What’s your favorite class?” My son replied, “Well, we homeschool.” She replied, “Yes, but you still have classes. Which one do you like best?” This launched into a discussion of math – who knew that I’d have a child who liked math – and the conversation was very positive and upbeat. Not every conversation with a grandparent will go so smoothly, though. I feel very blessed that my parents and my husband’s parents have been … Continue reading →

Happy Grandparents’ Day!

Grandparents’ Day is tomorrow, and I would like to wish my son’s grandparents and all of you other grandparents out there a happy Grandparents’ Day. I am grateful that all four of my son’s grandparents are alive and well. They are all wonderful people and each of them contributes something very special to my son’s life – and mine too, for that matter. I am sure that as he grows, he will appreciate each of them for their unique qualities and the special times that they will share. I had wonderful grandparents when I was younger. Okay, let me rephrase … Continue reading →

Defending Your Parenting Choices

Who are you as a parent? When we are pregnant, our paths do not often obviously diverge from the norm a lot. Yes, some of us may choose to have our babies at home or in a birthing center. But the majority of us try to make good food choices and remove alcohol and other substances from our lives for the good of our baby. That’s the cultural norm. What if you don’t follow the cultural norm as your child gets older? We certainly didn’t. When my daughter came into the world, I said that I would respond to her … Continue reading →

Grandparents Forget What It’s Like to Raise Teens

I know my mother means well but I think she has forgotten what it was like to raise a teenager. Recently I was talking to my mom about how I finally started letting my 11 and 13-year-old ride their bikes with friends to the park. She clearly disagreed with my decision to do this. I will admit that I have been a very protective parent. It has only been this past year that I have started to loosen the reins a bit and understand that I can’t put my children in a bubble. There are still some things I won’t … Continue reading →

Grandparents Not Giving As Much This Christmas

Grandparent Grinches? Not in my family. A new survey says, due to the current state of the economy, grandparents won’t be buying as many gifts for their grandkids this year. This is heartbreaking news for families the world over who rely on grandparents to play Santa. Last year I asked: Who needs Santa when you’ve got generous grandparents? I wasn’t kidding. My daughter and my nephew are blessed beyond words that my parents spoil them rotten. I can’t speak for my brother’s family, but I know for a fact that my daughter’s Christmas would not be nearly as merry and … Continue reading →