The Grand Life: Wholehearted Grandparenting

Filmmaker Melissa Davey is back with the story of her next film, "Climbing Into Life," about the oldest woman to scale El Capitan in Montana. Both the producer and her subject bring loads of inspiration for all of us.

Learn more about Melissa's first doc, "Beyond Sixty," here, as well the trailer for her new film.

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If you've watched much HSN or QVC, you may have seen or even bought clothing with the Diane Gilman label, the "Jean Queen" of tele-retail. Her new book is "Too Young to Be Old," and you'll likely agree with her after you hear our conversation with her. Diane's book is for sale at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1637554532, and her web site and story are at thedianegilman.com

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This year, the emotional center of the Morgans' holiday gatherings shifted from the grandparent's home to that of their adult children. Emotions are more mixed than giblet gravy.

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Combining your pets and your grands can be chaotic, even scary--for both the animals and the small humans. Because it can go very badly, we must know our animals well and plan ahead for the good of all. Ellie Laks runs several animal rescue farms and is an expert in animal communication; her advice is practical, tender, and fascinating.

Learn more about Ellie's farms and her talents at www.gentlebarn.org and ellielaks.com.

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Emily and Mike welcome back Dr. Emily Williams, a counselor and therapist, for some advice on how to navigate the choppy waters of holidays and family relations. Her website is https://www.silvermaplepsychology.com. 

For more on the topic of touchy conversations with the parents of your grandchildren, check out our episode titled "The Hard Things."

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Our 150th episode is a celebration, a look back at the top topics we've covered in the first 149. We recorded this one with a live audience in Williamsburg, Virginia. We even hired a stand-up comedian to warm up the audience--and he's 9!

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Emily and Mike share ideas from fans of the podcast on giving gifts for grandchildren at the holidays. We also talk with a charter sailing captain about the idea of giving your grands experiences, especially ones that include you. Our guest is Captain Robert of 757 Sailing Charters on the Virginia coast.

For more on gifts for grands, check out these two previous episodes of our podcast:
--"Enough is as Good as a Feast," about the cost tradeoffs between buying and shipping
--"Overbuying," exploring why we're tempted to spend too much

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Emily's November article about podcast listening, published in the online magazine Next Avenue (nextavenue.org), invites readers to sample The Grand Life. This episode is a quick orientation for new visitors.

Emily's article: https://www.nextavenue.org/what-podcast-listening-brings-to-the-table/ 

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ABC Television's reality show "The Golden Bachelor" seeks to enrich the lives of older singles, but seems to do so at the expense of their grandchildren. Emily and Mike have some thoughts about this and what it might say to the rest of us.

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Kathy Buckworth is a radio and podcast host (and grandmother) near Toronto, Ontario. Kathy patiently answers our burning questions about Canadians, their politeness, and their maple syrup.

Episode Notes

Cathy Buckworth's radio program airs weekly on Zoomer Radio in Canada, with enough AM power to reach into the Central Northeastern US. The rest of us can hear her on the Go To Grandma podcast. 

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