Family

We do not usually identify ourselves by what we are not. We do not say I am not blonde or not good at knitting or I do not come from a large family. Nor do other people think about these things when they think of us…

I clearly remember the day the job of grandmothering started. My daughter walked in from the kitchen, carrying a dish of lasagne. She put it down on the table. She stood up and cleared her throat. ‘We have some news for you,’ she said…

Before Great Gram got hitched at age 20, as they used to say, she was a teacher in a one-room rural Iowa schoolhouse. After marriage, she wasn’t allowed to teach. That was written in her contract. As a teacher, she called her readin’ and writin’…

Have you prioritized your health during your divorce? Most women would answer no. With the overwhelm and emotions from divorce, the last thing many of us think about is our health. We have a long history of taking care of everyone else, but not ourselves…

We are a blended family with four children. It was far from easy to deal with financial decisions as they grew up. Now ensconced in their adult lives, it continues to be challenging to discern if, when, and how to financially walk alongside them…

It all happened so quickly, where did the years go? But here we are, the first few years into retirement already. So much to be thankful for. Anyway, it’s the road ahead that matters. And so, setting out to look at some of the ways we go about making…

Now we are 60 (as A.A. Milne of Christopher Robin fame might have said), we are of an age to think about grandmothers. Perhaps you are a grandmother or hoping to be one. Perhaps your friends are grandmothers…

Parent-adult child estrangement is a complex and deeply challenging experience. It can be overwhelming, leaving parents with feelings of guilt, shame, and grief. This article offers guidance on navigating this painful journey, emphasizing…

You’ve probably read professional relationship advice about how to survive with your partner into retirement. That always comes with lots of practical instructions about working together and enjoying each other’s company. It all sounds a bit twee…

When I taught writing, I asked my students to describe their parents by using the five senses. Gosh, does this writing exercise elicit vibrant responses! Here are some words my community college students, who ranged in age from 18 to 60, used to describe…