To me, grandparents represent a connection that lives inside you like an exhibit. Not solely to fill a role as a quasi-parent but to show others the beauty of a shared intergenerational relationship. I was about nine when I first began to draw connections from the large colorful paintings that hung on the walls of…
A Guide to Connecting with Your Teenage Grandchildren Enough of the grunted, one-word answers! From sharing music and stories about milestone events to reconciling with the generation in between (aka your grandchild’s parents), Where Two World’s Meet is a caring, tactical guide for grandparents on the secret to entering their tween and older grandchild’s world, and…
By Guest Blogger Michael Witkovsky (or as I like to call him, “my son the psychiatrist) It may have been Wendell Barry who would admonished us to “first, build a table.” I always wondered why chairs were not the first. No reason is given. My guess is that chairs are single purposed (lounge, dining,…
Yep. I am still their Dad. “But, I am 92 and they are in their 60’s,” I think, jabbering to myself. “JEROME,” my wife Margaret, who died 15 years ago, would say right now to get my attention. “You worry too much. They are adults. Let them be.” Sage advice, Margaret. “But I…
We older adults are the most vulnerable to the virus. According to the CDC that’s anyone over 60. I’m well beyond that, at 92 (technically 91 and 51 weeks). We are stuck at home. If we are a widow or widower we may be alone and lonely. As I work on creating these opportunities…
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…
By Michael Witkovsky, The Psychiatrist Son There are many horrible and awful things about school shootings. They are life ending for innocents, and life transforming for survivors. There is fear, helplessness, rage and profound sadness. These feelings conspire to activate us towards solving all problems that promote the probability of such rare events. However, one of…
My son Michael, who recently became a grandpa himself, wrote this wonderful, deep, thoughtful letter to me. It was in response to, or perhaps to further ponder my last two blog posts about, how, at 89, I could respond to the events of Charlottesville, and about maintaining a culture of learning and teaching across the…
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…
