Welcome to Grandparenting
by Rosemary Weis
and Michelle Johnston
Copyright: © 2008, Lulu.com
Paperback $15.95
124 pages
ISBN 9780557008759
Reviewed by:
Harry E. Gilleland, Jr.
Poet, Author
As a grandfather to five grandchildren, aged seven to ten, I was interested to learn what this book has to offer in the way of advice on how to be a grandparent. The answer is it has much to offer. The two authors offer great insight with ideas and suggestions that should be beneficial to any grandparent, but especially to the new grandparent.
The 124-page book is arranged into four sections. The first section has eight chapters with suggestions of things to do before the baby arrives. The helpful ideas range from pampering the expectant mother in various ways to preparing yourself to be the family historian for the grandchild by starting a time capsule on the day of the birth and gathering family history. One chapter lists potential memento gifts to commemorate the birth, as well as ways to make the first meeting with the new baby more enjoyable for the new mother (flowers, food, keep the visit short, take charge of any older siblings). I’m sure if these suggestions are followed, the first meeting will go smoothly.
Section two has the meat of the book. Its dozen chapters cover the philosophy of being a good grandparent and discuss how you can best interact with the grandchild as an infant, a toddler, the middle years, the teen years, through their becoming grownup grandchildren. Weis and Johnston offer great advice on communicating with the parents and working with the parents for the best interests of the grandchildren. This section has suggestions for how best to handle babysitting. It even presents the authors’ thoughts on diverse topics like adopted grandchildren and long-distance grandparenting. I especially liked the notion that grandparents could take the lead in starting and/or maintaining family traditions with the grandchildren. As a poet myself, I was particularly fond of the authors’ proposal that the grandparent could be the family storyteller that introduced the grandchild to the older family history and fleshed out their impression of other family members. With my own grandchildren soon to become teenagers, I found their advice to listen without being critical or “parenting” since the teenager needs someone they can trust to talk to about things that they may not want to discuss directly with their parents to be great advice. I plan to remember their advice!
The six chapters of section three provide useful ideas for hosting baby showers, stocking the freezer, creating floral arrangements, gift giving, vacationing with the grandchildren, and being a “spontaneous grandparent”. It is a section that would be referred to often by the grandparent.
The fourth section has one whimsical chapter entitled “If Grandmothers Ruled the World”. Oh, if only they did!
“Welcome to Grandparenting” is truly a useful guide filled with great suggestions and ideas for activities appropriate for any age grandchild. It would be a wonderful introduction into the world of grandparenting for any new grandparent. Even experienced grandparents would benefit from reading this book. I know I did. Although the book is aimed mostly at grandmothers with its numerous suggestions for food preparation, flower arrangements, shopping and gift giving, throwing baby showers, there are still plenty of suggestions contained within the book to make it useful for grandfathers to read it also. In summary, I heartily recommend this book, especially for any new grandparents, but also for experienced grandparents. You are never too old to learn new ideas. The authors are to be commended for a job well done. This book would make a great gift as well as a valuable addition to one’s own library.
