This post originally ran on 10/21/16, but we are re-posting in honor of the recent passing of her grandpa. Sending our deepest condolences to Michelle and her family. When I was little, my paternal Grandfather Abe and I enjoyed many hours of playing Rummy at his kitchen table. First, my Grandfather would conduct the impressive…
By Jerry Witkovsky, MSW, Author of The Grandest Love: Inspiring the Grandparent-Grandchild Connection and the Grandparent-Grandchild Connection School Program Barbara is counting the days until she and her husband, Dave, become first-time grandparents. A startlingly clear sonogram picture of their grandson in utero is the cover image on their daughter Carrie’s Facebook wall. His name…
At 80ish I wrote a chapter for a book, 80 Things to Do When you Turn 80. The chapter was titled “Life is an Adventure. In it I talked about meeting my wife Margaret and our long life together, and on writing a book and rebuilding my life after she passed. The theme for that…
400 grandparents attended programs at Deerfield Public Schools this fall, to learn more about the school world of their 6th to 12th grade grandchildren. Grandparents of 6th and 7th graders at Shepard Middle School learned about social emotional learning and typical social media use at that age. 40 grandparents went to the annual Freshman Connection…
I Do Want my Grandsons to say “me too” to ending sexual harassment and standing up for women. I love my weekly calls with my grandson Ethan, a Rabbi at the Park Synagogue in Manhattan. When we spoke a couple of weeks ago, I opened the topic by asking for advice for an upcoming meeting…
How to teach, learn and care with extended family At 89 years old, I found myself thinking with pride the other day about how amazing the experience and intellectual power of my extended family is. What a wealth of knowledge we are collectively. I have learned about worlds far from mine from all of them.…
By Jerry Witkovsky I watched the TV news–and witnessed the KKK, the Neo Nazi’s and the White Supremacists shouting their hate. It burns a hole in my heart and soul. What can I do about it at age 89? As I struggled with this, the following thought went through my mind: “When a Grandparent dies…
By Jerry Witkovsky (adapted from his book, The Grandest Love: Inspiring the Grandparent Grandchild Connection) Grandparents often ask me, “How will I be remembered?” They know that they can leave valuables, but things can be lost, discarded or no longer considered valuable. A legacy of values, however, can guide grandchildren in their daily life, school,…
March 20 will be been named Jerry Witkovsky Day in the Village of Deerfield, to honor the long time Grandparenting Activist’s 89th birthday. Please join Mayor Rosenthal at Deerfield Village Hall, 850 Waukegan Road, on March 20 at 7:30 p.m for the ceremony. Read more about the honor and Jerry in the Chicago Tribune/Deerfield Review. Jerry Witkovsky is…
“I learned from my grandpa what a traditional date was supposed to look like and how we were doing it all wrong,” said school Principal Kathryn Anderson in her welcome to 300 grandparents and special guests who attended the annual Grandparents Day program at Deerfield High School on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. While it was…
