What to do when child abuse is suspected or witnessed BY KAREN L. RANCOURT I recently received an email from a distraught set of grandparents who suspected that their granddaughter
A New Kind of Helper BY KAREN RANCOURT During challenging times, everyone’s ideal neighbor, Mr. Fred Rogers, offered his famous advice to look for the helpers. “When I was a boy
How grandparents can stay connected to their grandchildren who are away at college BY KAREN L. RANCOURT When grandparents are asked about barriers to spending in-person time with their grandchildren,
Ask Dr. Gramma Karen: An Aunt’s Family Role BY KAREN RANCOURT In many families, aunts and uncles often play critical roles in the lives of their nieces and nephews and
How Grandparents Can Be A Front-Line Resource For College-age Grandkids BY KAREN L. RANCOURT I was recently contacted by a set of grandparents who wanted my advice about resources and
Gloria’s Ten Commandments for Elders Living with Their Grown Children BY DR. KAREN RANCOURT I smile whenever I think of my friend’s mother, Gloria. She was one of those high-energy,
5 Things Not To Say To Your Grandchildren By Karen L. Rancourt L. RANCOURT – AKA – Ask Grandma Karen Summertime for many families means vacations and more time together
Disagreements about the use of a ventilator to treat Covid-19 BY KAREN L. RANCOURT I was lying on the floor doing my stretching exercises, when all of a sudden, I
Want your grandchildren to live in a democracy? I sure do, and obviously, so does Karen Rancourt, the author of an opinion piece that was just published by South Florida
. . . the Origin of Mother’s Day? Anna Jarvis (1864-1948) Mother’s Day, created by Anna Jarvis, was first celebrated at St. Andrew’s Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, on May 10,
Help! My Son-In-Law Is Abusive Dear Dr. Gramma Karen, Our daughter Joan married Donald ten years ago. We all knew there was something off about him; he is very controlling and very insecure. Before they got married, my husband, who is
Ways to make that family road trip even more fun BY KAREN L. RANCOURT A grandmother recently asked me how she and her husband could make a road trip they
DEAR DR. GRAMMA KAREN: When my daughter, Mandy, was nine months pregnant, her boyfriend was sentenced to six months of work release. She had the baby and stayed with us for several
After I’m gone, take out the garbage BY KAREN L. RANCOURT “How often do you clean that?” asked my husband Gary. He was referring to the air cooler that is
By Karen L. Rancourt, Ph.D. (AKA – Ask Grandma Karen) As a parent or grandparent, you cannot escape making the to-watch or not-to-watch decision about 13 Reasons Why, the Netflix
BY KAREN L. RANCOURT, Ph.D Before the election I wrote two columns on the impact of the campaign on family relationships: (1) “Grandparents’ Political Rants Are Upsetting;” (2) “Readers’ Responses
BY KAREN L. RANCOURT I am often asked for advice by grandparents whose grandchildren ask them about some family secret. Families keep secrets for a variety of reasons, including: divorce;
Meet Gramma Karen Our GRANDParent Network member, Donne Davis of GaGaSisterHood.com has launched a cool new podcast just for us GRANDparents called Conversations with Modern Grandmas. Her second live “Conversations with
When a spouse passes, what you say matters BY KAREN L. RANCOURT According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 800,000 spouses are widowed each year. Although family members and friends may
By Karen L. Rancourt Are you among the 57 percent of adults who have not put their legal and financial affairs in order? Do you want family members to gather