by Marlene Bumgarner | Nov 2, 2016 | Aging, Child development, Cooking and Eating, Family, Grandparenting, Travel
Packing Activities in a Suitcase One of the topics we discussed at our second Grandparent Meetup was how to nurture relationships with grandchildren who live far away. Favorites were frequent visits, FaceTime and Skype conversations, affectionate notes mailed...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Oct 11, 2016 | Aging, Child development, Community, Family, Good Reads, Grandparenting
A Different Way to Check out Books One long hot day last summer Bean and I were tired of being inside the house and decided to go for a walk. I regretted our decision as soon as the hot moist heat hit my face, but Bean was scootering happily down the street so I...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Oct 3, 2016 | Aging, Community, Family, Grandparenting, Health
A week in the life of this Grandmother . . . Last week was very busy. Two weeks earlier I had embarked on the creation of a support group for grandparents, some of whom had relocated as I did, to help take care of their grandchildren. Monday night, as I worked on the...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Sep 20, 2016 | Aging, Child development, Family, Grandparenting, Travel
Do you remember what it was like the first time you watched a city recede beneath you, the houses and cars and people becoming smaller and smaller? I had forgotten, but I remembered last weekend as my granddaughter pressed her nose to the cold glass trying to get as...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Sep 12, 2016 | Aging, Child development, Family, Grandparenting
It is my belief that grandparenting is the most important family role of the new century.” – Roma Hanks, Ph.D. Yesterday was Grandparents’ Day and I spent it at Ikea with my daughter and granddaughter. That may seem like a strange way to spend a...
by Marlene Bumgarner | Sep 5, 2016 | Aging, Community, Family, Grandparenting, Health, Nature, Travel
Two Grandmothers Went for a Hike Sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn’t it? But it isn’t — it’s what my friend Ginny and I did last Friday. Ginny and I are usually in a seniors circuit class on Friday mornings (also on Mondays and...