Review by WriterReader752611 -- So, You're Raising Your ...
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Review by WriterReader752611 -- So, You're Raising Your ...
[Following is a volunteer review of "So, You're Raising Your Grandkids!" by Harriet Hodgson.]
Grandparenting in the last quarter of the nineteenth century consisted of simply loving and spoiling the children. In the twenty-first century, however, grandparenting has morphed significantly into fulltime parenting. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Is this a hard thing? Definitely.
So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids! Tested Tips, Research, & Real-Life Stories to Make Your Life Easier by Harriet Hodgson is a comprehensive, 200-page answer to handling the hard things of grandparenting. Raising my own six children was hard enough when I was young. I had occasion to keep four of my young grandchildren for a week a couple years ago and I marveled that I had ever done so much hard work. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can easily step back into your parenting years to accommodate one or more grandchildren. Not to fear though: Hodgson addresses all your concerns plus plenty you probably haven’t thought about.
I liked the book’s organization and conversational writing. In eight well-organized chapters, Hodgson explains how to accept your new role, managing new financial, time, and emotional demands, and how to ease back into active parenting. Modern grandparents acquire the next generation of children through a variety of means, and Hodgson not only explains these, but she teaches how to deal with the grief that often comes along with your new family.
In So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids!, Hodgson discusses creating your grandfamily, communicating with your grandchildren, working out schooling issues, dealing with stress usually handled by younger adults, and helping your grandchildren become great additions to society. Her four appendixes lead you to helpful websites, a grandparents raising grandchildren Bill of Rights, ten tips for grandparenting grandchildren, and even a glossary for grandparents who may feel disconnected with the youngest generation and the terminology of modern parenting.
Hodgson’s greatest contribution to this genre is sharing her own experience. “The only solution I can suggest,” she says, “is to focus on love.” Grandparenting grandchildren is a daunting role and Hodgson reports that the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry claims that “many children who are living with grandparents have psychological problems…[resulting from] physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, and the loss of a parent due to death or imprisonment.” Your new role is daunting for sure, but you can do it. Your maturity and life experience are advantages here.
In addition to focusing on love, undoubtedly, Hodgson’s next best tip is, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” and then she proceeds to tell you where to find it. So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids! is a valuable resource for grandparents who find themselves suddenly thrown back into active parenting. Though the cover shows unrealistically young and artificially cheerful grandparents, I give this book a solid 4 out of 4 stars.
******
So, You're Raising Your Grandkids!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Grandparenting in the last quarter of the nineteenth century consisted of simply loving and spoiling the children. In the twenty-first century, however, grandparenting has morphed significantly into fulltime parenting. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Is this a hard thing? Definitely.
So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids! Tested Tips, Research, & Real-Life Stories to Make Your Life Easier by Harriet Hodgson is a comprehensive, 200-page answer to handling the hard things of grandparenting. Raising my own six children was hard enough when I was young. I had occasion to keep four of my young grandchildren for a week a couple years ago and I marveled that I had ever done so much hard work. Don’t be fooled into thinking you can easily step back into your parenting years to accommodate one or more grandchildren. Not to fear though: Hodgson addresses all your concerns plus plenty you probably haven’t thought about.
I liked the book’s organization and conversational writing. In eight well-organized chapters, Hodgson explains how to accept your new role, managing new financial, time, and emotional demands, and how to ease back into active parenting. Modern grandparents acquire the next generation of children through a variety of means, and Hodgson not only explains these, but she teaches how to deal with the grief that often comes along with your new family.
In So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids!, Hodgson discusses creating your grandfamily, communicating with your grandchildren, working out schooling issues, dealing with stress usually handled by younger adults, and helping your grandchildren become great additions to society. Her four appendixes lead you to helpful websites, a grandparents raising grandchildren Bill of Rights, ten tips for grandparenting grandchildren, and even a glossary for grandparents who may feel disconnected with the youngest generation and the terminology of modern parenting.
Hodgson’s greatest contribution to this genre is sharing her own experience. “The only solution I can suggest,” she says, “is to focus on love.” Grandparenting grandchildren is a daunting role and Hodgson reports that the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry claims that “many children who are living with grandparents have psychological problems…[resulting from] physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, prenatal exposure to drugs and alcohol, and the loss of a parent due to death or imprisonment.” Your new role is daunting for sure, but you can do it. Your maturity and life experience are advantages here.
In addition to focusing on love, undoubtedly, Hodgson’s next best tip is, “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” and then she proceeds to tell you where to find it. So, You’re Raising Your Grandkids! is a valuable resource for grandparents who find themselves suddenly thrown back into active parenting. Though the cover shows unrealistically young and artificially cheerful grandparents, I give this book a solid 4 out of 4 stars.
******
So, You're Raising Your Grandkids!
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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