I got a call from my son the psychiatrist. “How do you want to celebrate your death?” he asked. I was surprised. He had never asked this before, even though I am now pushing 92. Apparently, he had a dream that got him thinking. Now that got me thinking. What were the values that…
I am heartbroken. My granddaughter is getting married after living with this wonderful young man for five years. My granddaughter and her fiancé are both 32. I am 91. The past three years they have lived and worked in my city. Every Sunday they would have breakfast with me. I would prepare an agenda for what…
My friend Miriam was recently watching her 10-year-old grandson, when he came to her with a troubled look on his face. “This is getting really mean,” he said. “I think my friend is really upset.” It had started innocently enough, with a group text. Someone had posted a cartoon picture of a…
Dear Family, You can’t imagine the pride and happiness that I have in seeing your successes and achievements in life. I know that pride is a feeling one usually has about their own achievements. But as your father and grandfather, I get deep pleasure and satisfaction in following all that you do. I…
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.…
