Back in Season 2, we did an episode on Long-Distance Grandparenting which proved to be a popular subject. When the distances are really long--international--you'd think it would be harder. The pandemic has made distance less of a factor that it once was, so experienced global grandparents can teach lessons almost all of us can apply.

EPISODE SHOW NOTES

Learn more about Emily's guest, author Helen Ellis, at https://www.distancefamilies.com. Her book will be out in April, 2021. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some grandparents have the time, talent, and access to become directly involved with their grands' education. Emily talks with two grandparents and a teacher who have done or seen this firsthand, which may give you ideas on how to approach this in your extended family.

SHOW NOTE

Learn more about Emily's third guest, Sandra Williams, from her website and her book, Lullabelle and Friends' Parent Guide.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grandparents can play a range of roles in their grands' education. In Part 1 on this topic, Emily talks with a retired teacher whose journey through racial segregation in the 1950s shaped her commitment to supporting the schooling of her descendants. Emily's essay is a revealing self-portrait of a third grader, a pen pal, and a missed opportunity

Emily's guest Kaaren Rodman provides details on her family's scholarship:

"Our family has set up a scholarship that is awarded through the Indianapolis Urban League. Mike and I did smaller grants for several years in the 90's, one for each set of parents. Two years ago we set up one Scholarship as a way to honor our parents and their commitment to education. This is the "Family Story" that I wrote for the printed program:

"Like all African-American parents of their generation, our parents believed that education was the key to a better life for their children. They knew that getting there would not be easy, so they were clear about the need to study hard and to get good grades. They were tough sometimes, but mostly they were nurturing, supportive and inspiring by example.  They wanted us to love learning and to stay focused on the goal of preparing ourselves for careers and lives that would make a difference for our children and our community. We became a teacher, a banker, a musician and a physician, and they were really, really proud. The Burke, Dabner, Rodman Scholarship Program gives us the opportunity to thank them and to give back in a way that honors them and recognizes all they did for us.

"When the first scholarship was presented two years ago, our grandson made the presentation with his Grandad. It was a proud moment!  Our family shared the luncheon table with the recipient and his mom, and our grandchildren got to see someone else who was working hard to go to college. And, perhaps they realized that their grandparents cared about educational opportunities for others as well as for them. It's another way we can set an example for them."  -Kaaren Rodman

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The centerpiece of this episode is Emily's interview with best-selling author Barbara Graham, who has written about the collected experiences of gifted and famous grandmothers. There are lessons to be learned from her work... and from Emily's essay about loving our grands well with the time we find.

Learn more about Emily's guest and her work at barbaragrahamonline.com.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

To begin Season 4, Emily talks with two members of her network on how to put our love for our grands into action--with purpose, and intentionality, and clever ideas.  The payoff is a richer relationship, even when it's largely a long-distance one.

To learn more about our two guests visit The Long Distance Grandparent and More than Grand. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While we take a break between seasons of The Grand Life Podcast, we're inviting host Emily Morgan to the guest's chair for a change. With husband and producer Mike, she covers choosing content, finding guests, and balancing the living of The Grand Life with her podcasting about it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes a mistake leads to an opportunity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests from Season 3 of the podcast share memories of their grandparent's work and careers--tagging along to work with them, and being shaped by their jobs and their work ethic. Emily also interviews a grandmother who's a business-executive-turned-filmmaker.

EPISODE SHOW NOTES

Emily's guest has produced Beyond Sixty Project, a new documentary film. Learn more here. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being a parent of teenagers is a challenge you have to experience to appreciate. When we grandparent teens, our wisdom and experience should make us better at it... but do they? Emily talks with a teen, two parents, and a grandparent to explore this dynamic, which is both familiar and new all at once. The Stretch It Takes is a guest essay from grandma and business consultant Pamela Dennis.

EPISODE NOTES

Grandma Judy's help and ideas on grandparent camps is at https://www.grandconnections.net and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/grandconnections.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this bonus episode, Emily talks with a guest from Episode 10, Ellie Slott Fisher, about the real impact the pandemic has had on our lives with our grandchildren. 

Emily mentions two grandparent resources you might want to visit: More Than Grand (web and Facebook), and The Long-Distance Grandparent.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.