Gramps Jeffrey was in isolation with his wife, children and 6 children during Covid and he had an opportunity to observe the kids up close. From that experience he wrote a book called, "I Don't Want to Turn 3." It tells the story of a tough lesson learned and the resolution shared with the whole family.

In our discussion we talked about how parenting today has changed from how we were parented and how we parented our own children. Gramps shared some cute family examples in the telling of his stories.

As grandparents, he advised that we watch out for the tendency to

• give unsolicited advise
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• 
  
• use manipulation to try to get what we want
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• 
  
• undermine the parent's authority
• 
  

What we can do as grandparents, particularly with our younger grandchildren, is find time to read with them. Sharing books builds a closeness between grandparents and the grandchildren. We can ask questions and help them learn to think. We communicate with them while we read to them, and model listening skills.

And if you are a long-distance grandparent, he shared a cute idea for an activity you can do to create connection with your grandchildren.

Episode Takeaways:

1. As grandparents we can help to teach children how to think

2. He suggested one question you could ask every day, "what did you do today that was nice to someone?"

3. When you love, you will teach others to love.

Thanks so much for listening.

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You can email me with questions or comments at wendy@heyboomer.biz

– Wendy Green is a Certified Life Coach, working with people going through the sometimes uncomfortable life transition from full-time work to “what’s next.” Find out more about Wendy’s 6-week “What’s Next Transition” Coaching workshop

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– You can find Gramps Jeffrey at grampsjeffrey.com or at heyboomer.org