Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Part I The Widening Circle
1 What to Expect when They're Expecting 9
2 Labors of Love 13
3 Your New Name 18
4 A Mother's Blessing 23
5 Welcome to the World, Baby Girl 27
6 Could You, Should You Be a Grandnanny? 31
7 Now We Are Six 37
8 Linking to a Lineage 43
9 Building a Grandparent Team 47
10 Heirloom Eggs 52
11 Fruits and Nuts and All Things Fresh 57
12 Mickey Mouse Pancakes 62
13 The Grandma They'll Never Know 67
Part II The World Around Them
14 The Gift of Play 73
15 Stuff Better Than Toys? 80
16 A King, a Prince, and a Pile of Pillows 84
17 Every Child Is an Artist 89
18 A Club in the Hand 93
19 Pleasure in Little Things 97
20 God's Fire Truck 100
21 Meetings with Trees 104
22 Every Living Thing 109
23 Lifelong Learning 114
24 Who They Are, Where They Are 118
25 What Good Grandparents Do 123
Part III Feelings
26 On Not Being Brave 127
27 Mr. Rogers's Secret 132
28 A Candle in the Darkness 137
29 Hard Times 141
30 Helping Make the World a Better Place 145
31 Talking with Grandchildren about Dying 150
Part IV Grandparenting by Hand
32 Property Rights 157
33 May I Have a Word? 161
34 Will You Be My Valentine? 166
35 Simple Gifts 171
36 Gotta Sing 176
37 Grandparent Camp 181
38 Grandparents as Teachers 186
39 Stepping In, Stepping Back 191
40 Using Technology with Grandchildren 196
41 Leisurely Learning 202
42 Helping Raise Kids Who Raise Questions 206
Part V Their Future and Ours
43 A Few Truths to Talk about in Due Time 213
44 When Illness Comes 216
45 Navigating Special Needs 220
46 Vulnerabilities 225
47 Letters for Later 229
48 Make Something They Can Use Every Day 233
49 Becoming a Good Ancestor 237
50 Looking Ahead 241
51 Our Roles in Their Bites of Passage 247
52 The World They Get 252
Acknowledgments 257