The Grammie Guide

This bighearted guide is here to help Mom become Grandma.

Some of the rules of parenting have changed in the last two or three decades, and even what hasn’t changed may require a refresher course. Moreover, the role of grandmother has in some ways changed, too. Eby, Mobilio, Noel and Summers, who all have backgrounds in early childhood education, bring healthy doses of encouragement, research and guidance to their debut book. Grammie will likely need to outfit her house and car when her grandchild comes to visit, using a kit of gadgets and tools that may not have existed the last time she was in the baby-raising business. She’ll have to baby-proof her house and reacquaint herself with a baby’s schedule and needs. She’ll have to learn or relearn some songs, games and soothing techniques, and she’ll have an opportunity to establish or bring back family traditions for the holidays. A grandmother who lives far away will want and need to maintain long-distance relationships with her grandchildren, and she’ll have to navigate a new kind of relationship with the baby’s parents. In all of these areas, the authors’ tips are specific, useful and up-to-date, from recipes for salt dough, the words to half-forgotten nursery rhymes and, perhaps most importantly, reminders to respect the new parents’ authority and right to parent in their own way. Each chapter has sections pertaining to infants, toddlers and preschoolers. While Grammie gets the spotlight, Grandpa gets his own chapter—“And Now for Grandpa”—in which the authors acknowledge the different approaches men and women might take. This chapter is also written as if it’s still Grammie reading, so it’s packed with suggestions she might make for Grandpa when he spends time with the kids: Take the baby outside for a walk, go build something, tell stories and change that diaper. In both their advice and the personal stories they share throughout the book, the authors’ make their enthusiasm for grandmas clear, and it’s positively infectious.

An excellent guide, full of friendly advice and inspiration for proud grandmas.