Effective grandparents represent one polarity on a spectrum of complex grandparenting behavior.  On one end of the spectrum is the effective grandparent.  The middle range encompasses the majority of functional

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Biology, psychology and external family and social systems all affect grandparenting identity and activity.  One biological event, the birth of a grandchild, initiates the basis of grandparenthood, the “grandparent drive.” 

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Grandparenthood and great-grandparenthood may be viewed as mature stages in a lifelong developmental process.  Grandparents are formed by the interaction of many biological, psychological, interpersonal and social forces.  These forces

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Start before you grandchild is born by gardening your child’s marriage. Parents are the linchpin of the relationship between you and your grandchild: It’s important to support the couple from

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Paying for college has never been easy, especially for families with competing financial goals. To further the challenges posed to parents, the cost of attending college is accelerating at astonishing

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Everyone is different, and it is important than grandparents learn to understand the  individual differences that can either be complementary,  or cause  friction between grasndparents and their loved ones. Personality

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How are today’s parents raising their children differently from the way grandparents raised them? Do you know what attachment parenting is? Do you think that children should sleep in their

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[dropcap]Q: [/dropcap]I have a hard time speaking directly to my grandchildren. I’ve never been someone who expresses their feelings easily or was a great communicator. My wife usually acts as

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[dropcap]Q: [/dropcap]I am really in a quandary as to how I should discipline my children. Many of my co-workers are more permissive with their kids than I am. It almost

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[dropcap]Q: [/dropcap]I am 14-years-old and have to go off to boarding school next year. I don’t want to go, but all of my friends are going. My mother wants me

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No one is perfect, so  grandparents will always make mistakes in dealing with grandchildren and their parents.   Such errors  offer an opportunity for growth and learning. They must be acknowledged,

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In the past, the legal system defined a family as “intact” if both parents were married and living together. But can a family with no grandparental involvement truly be classified

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Long distance grandparenting is quite a challenge, but there is so much you can do to over-come the challenge. Today, millions of American families are separated by distances that are

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What is “The Lacuna Effect?” According to the dictionary, a “lacuna” is a “hole,” a blank space or a missing part.  How does this term apply to grandparent/parent relations? In 

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Nature sometimes creates a child in the image of one of their grandparents.  The resemblance may be physical or temperamental.  A grandchild can have a similar personality to a grandparent

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(A Quick ‘How to tell a story”- How-To by Toni Watson) Webster defines a story as, “A narrative, in prose or verse, designed to interest, amuse or instruct the listener.”

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Shocking but true. By the time your grandchild graduates from high school, they will have logged in 11,000 hours in school, but more than 15,000 hours watching TV and sitting

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No one reading this article will question that the life of a grandparent can have a profound influence on the life of a grandchild.  But how does the death of

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Should a parent or grandparent be concerned when a 5-year-old makes up a story or a teenager weaves a tall tale about why she or he has returned home late?

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Attentional Deficit Disorder (ADD) afflicts approximately one out of twelve children  and five boys for every girl. ADD can be present with or without hyperactivity. The syndrome is often confusing

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